The Space Pirate Tales II
by A'Rion Larent
Summary: Rio has been granted a chance at life, and with the help of her rambunctious family she's finding it to be quite the adventure. However, in the midst of this joy, there's an emptiness that persists- until a star-eyed stranger appears.
1. Chapter 1

The Space Pirate Tales II

Chapter 1: New Life

Rio held the baby-blue balloons on their strings as she phased throughout the Masaki porch, placing a couple at every stop she made. She looked back and saw Mihoshi trying to accomplish the same task, but sighed as she saw her letting go of the balloons in one hand while she tried to tie the others to a post. Rio phased up to the clouds before they could be crushed by the atmospheric pressure and brought them back down.

"Now how did those get up there?" Mihoshi was confounded at the notion of helium-filled balloons. "Thanks Rio!"

"No problem Mihoshi." She smiled and knew it'd be pointless to try and teach her anything; she had tried once before and all she got out of it was a load of frustration. "I'll do the balloons, why don't you set the tables."

"Are you sure?" Mihoshi put on a worried expression, unsure if Rio could really handle the balloons on her own.

"I'm positive, but Ayeka looks like she needs help." Rio pointed out Ayeka and Mihoshi was sent happily away.

Rio let out a sigh of relief as she continued with her balloon task with no further interruption. Meanwhile Ayeka noticed Mihoshi coming her way.

"I'll help you set the tables Ayeka!" Mihoshi exclaimed.

"Actually I'm just about done." Ayeka commented even as she held most of the decorations in a cardboard box resting on her hips.

"Are you sure? I mean it looks like you have—" Mihoshi pointed a finger to the box of decorations.

"Oh these…" A sweat drop formed on her brow. "These are just extras! I think Sasami needs help though." She lied through her teeth.

"Really? Ok…" Mihoshi was beginning to feel like she didn't have anything to contribute.

As soon as Mihoshi was out of sight Ayeka began to set the tables and rejoiced at the efficiency of her hands. She smiled warmly as she placed the centerpieces on the table—a simple cherry blossom sprig elaborately intertwined with a sprig of wheat: a perfect union. Ryoko had chosen the cherry blossom while Tenchi chose to represent himself with an essence of the fields he so often tended to. Inside she was at peace with how everything had turned out; she realized that Tenchi had only been a replacement for Yosho in her eyes. She chuckled as two arms wrapped around her from behind.

"You're doing a lovely job." A husky voice nestled in her ear.

"Yosho!" Ayeka jumped back into his chest as she blushed profusely.

Yosho laughed as he saw his former princess turn several shades of red. It had been some time since he had revealed his true nature to his family with some pressure from his granddaughter. Ayeka had broken down at the truth, but with his help she was able to recover, and Yosho felt certain lightness take over his soul; something that he thought he'd never feel again. His granddaughter was right in pressuring him to drop his façade—he hadn't realized it, but it was weighing him down a lot more than he had initially thought it would. Since then he had begun to court Ayeka, but this time it was of his own free will and free of politics.

"Sorry I did not mean to startle you." He smiled down at her.

"I was just lost in thought…" She looked at his youthful face and couldn't help but remember the old man guise he had chosen to hide behind for so many years. Her gaze found its way to his attire and the fact that he wore the same clothes, as he once had, did not help with her remembrance of his former self. "These are beautiful centerpieces." She smiled slightly as she showed them to him.

"They are, aren't they? It represents them so well." Yosho lay one down on a table. "I heard it was your idea to combine both the baby shower and wedding ceremony into one event."

"So it was." Ayeka smiled with pride. "Ryoko's just about big enough to pop any second now. I promised her I'd throw her a baby shower before the baby came and so I will."

"And why also the wedding?" Yosho raised his eyebrow.

"Because… she made me her maid of honor and I simply can't wait for the wedding to ensue." Ayeka beamed with pride once more. Though Ryoko had teased her before, saying she would allow Ayeka to be her 'maid of horror' instead, but she had eventually confessed that there was no one else she'd ask to be her maid of honor but her.

"Is that so? I wonder who Tenchi's best man is… he surely didn't ask me." Yosho mock frowned.

"I wondered that too… Lord Tenchi has never really had many male friends."

"In any case we better prepare for the evening." He left a small kiss on her forehead and turned to leave.

Ayeka let a feint blush tint her cheeks and gently waved her goodbye to the man who was in pursuit of her heart. She felt a bit strange knowing Yosho had already had a love of his life, but knew that he wouldn't be chasing her out of guilt. Plus the hole that Tenchi had left in her heart wasn't really left by Tenchi, but by the younger Yosho of her childhood, so to have him fill it now felt natural. It felt nice knowing that she didn't have to compete for his love or fight with anyone for it—though she sometimes missed the battles with Ryoko.

"Thanks Ayeka." She looked up to see Rio floating above her. "It looks beautiful."

"I'm sure your mother will love it." Ayeka smiled back.

"Speaking of which, I'm going to go check on her." Rio phased away with a peace sign and reappeared in her mother's room.

Ryoko was standing in front of a body-length mirror and rubbing her stomach ever so often. As soon as she heard the familiar sound of phasing, she turned to find her daughter.

"It sucks not being able to do that." Ryoko whined as she rested herself on a chair.

"I can't imagine what it's like to have to walk everywhere." Rio poked fun at her mother's laziness.

"You're not one to be talking—you phase into places you shouldn't even be phasing into!" Ryoko threw back with a smug grin.

Rio blushed out of embarrassment as she recalled the last lesson she had learned in living with others. Since she could remember, Rio had never had to check to see if anyone was in the bathroom. It had been just her grandmother and her, so there was no need for any such customs. It by chance happened that she had never run into any problems here until very recently. She had taken to phasing into the restroom rather than walk to the door and go through it. One day, someone decided to rise early and use the restroom at the time Rio usually occupied it; without really thinking Rio had phased into the restroom and caused princess Ayeka to shriek horribly. Rio had quickly phased away and profusely apologized afterwards, but the ear tugging the princess conducted on her afterwards was a painful reminder that she should never phase into the restroom again.

"That was only once…" Rio muttered as she looked away from her mother's bright and mischievous eyes.

"So how's everything coming along?" Ryoko smiled warmly as she cupped her daughter's pouting face.

"Great! Our plans are going smoothly; are you excited?"

"Of course I am… I've never had a party just for me. Not one that I can remember."

"I'll make sure you remember this one, it's what you deserve." Rio gave her mother a small kiss on the cheek and looked at the white dress hanged near the mirror. "Grams was able to make the alterations to your dress after all." She examined her mother's belly. "That's one huge baby…"

"What makes you so sure there's only one?" Ryoko grinned as her daughter's jaw all but dropped.

"There's more!"

"Bingo, kiddo… you'll be older sister to twins." Ryoko had waited until the very end to inform her daughter of the news.

"Do you know their gender?" Rio was filled with excitement.

"You're going to have a brother and a sister."

"Wow…" Rio was amazed at the thought of suddenly having two siblings. "Do you have names for them?"

"We do, but I'm going to keep those a secret for a bit longer." Ryoko chuckled at Rio's dismayed look. "Don't look at me like that; you'll know soon."

"Fine, fine…" Rio looked at her watch and saw that it was time she get to her grandmother's lab—they had been working on a special project. "Alright, I have to go! See you in a bit." She hugged her mother and then with a stuck out tongue phased away.

Ryoko chuckled and knew her daughter's spunk came primarily from her; she looked down to her belly and began to speak:

"I'm not as prepared as I should be… and I don't know if I'll be the best mother, but I'll definitely try to give you the life that I've always wanted." She frowned momentarily as she thought of Rio's lost childhood. "I'll keep you as safe as possible."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was not how I intended this chapter to end, but I wanted to just get something out there. I promise next chapter won't be so short and the plot will actually progress. I haven't been online in sooo long…


	2. Chapter 2: The Pain and Beauty of Living

_SPT II_

Chapter 2: The Pain and Beauty of Living

Washu fiddled with her instruments as she integrated her ingenuity into a glowing orb—its glow warmed Washu's face with its radiant light. It had been so long since she had created a device such as this one—a device that had no other purpose than to recall on past events; a device with no other purpose than to make her daughter smile.

"Grams!" Washu heard the rambunctious voice of her granddaughter as Rio flew straight towards her.

She all but tackled her grandmother to the floor, knocking all her strange tools from Washu's grasp. Washu let out a wail of despair as she sat dazed on the floor and Rio couldn't help but laugh. As soon as Washu stopped seeing atoms floating about her head, she picked herself up and glared at the mischievous youth.

"How old are you again?" She muttered as she picked up her tools and finished off her project.

"Hmmm well technically I'm not getting any older…." Rio smirked and stuck out her tongue. "Are you done?"

"Yup it's all in here." Washu lightly stroked the glowing orb with tenderness.

"I'm glad…" Washu turned to momentarily catch her granddaughter lost in sorrowful thought. "She doesn't remember her childhood, right?"

"Kagato took a lot away from her…. I can give some of it back." Washu resumed her mature form and pulled in her slowly cracking granddaughter into her arms.

She always tried to play things off; tried to act tough and careless—she had her mother to thank for that defense mechanism. Washu held her close to her chest so that Rio could muffle her cries; she didn't like being heard. Every once in a while she would come down here to cry or sleep with her. Something plagued her heart, but Washu could never draw it out of her and Rio had seemingly mastered the ability to keep others out of her head.

"Come on now, we can't have your face all splotched and puffy." Washu caressed Rio's hair.

"Can you show me how it works?" Rio murmured as she withdrew from her grandmother's comforting embrace.

"Of course, look here." Washu stroked the glowing orb again and it began to radiate even brighter than before. Soon enough images began to envelope them and it was as if they were transported into another realm.

'_Little Ryoko!' _

Rio turned to look where her grandmother's voice had come from and found her running up from the bottom of a rolling green hill.

'_Little Ryoko, there you are…." Washu panted as she came to a stop at a tree on the very top._

"_Hi Mama!" _

Rio turned and looked behind her at the small girl who was sitting at the base of the tree, intertwining various flowers into a head piece. She stared at the child and was mesmerized by her sweetness as her side ponytail spiked so freely.

'_I told you not to go so far.' Washu scolded her daughter who didn't seem to take it as such and just smiled back at her mother who now knelt beside her._

'_Sorry Mama," Ryoko placed the flower wreath on top of her mother's head and smiled._

"This was your mother before she knew of any darkness." Rio jumped as her grandmother stood beside her and watched the scene play out. "She was so innocent, yet always rebellious…" Washu began to choke back her tears as she clenched her fist.

'_Do you like it here, Little Ryoko?' Washu glanced down at her merry daughter and picked Ryoko up to place her in her lap._

_Ryoko nodded and smiled up at her mother. 'Pretty…' She picked up a fallen cherry blossom and brushed it against her mother's cheek._

'_It's very pretty my Little Ryoko' She placed a small kiss on Ryoko's forehead._

The scene ended and the scenery began to drip away to reveal the walls of Washu's lab. Rio took her grandmother's hand and gave it a squeeze along with a warm smile.

"This is the perfect gift." Rio stated as she looked at the device.

"I couldn't have done it without your adjustments."

"Yes you could have." Rio smirked. "It just would have taken you a bit longer."

Washu chuckled but didn't acknowledge that truth.

"Alright I'm going to see what else needs to be done." Rio phased away as she waved goodbye to her grandma.

Rio checked around the house for anything that she could help with but found that everyone was capable of handling it themselves. Sasami would not let anyone interfere with her dishes—after Mihoshi had tried to help, Sasami had closed the kitchen off with a barrier. Rio chuckled at the measures people would take to make sure Mihoshi didn't ruin their endeavors. There was nothing for her to do, so she decided to fade into the forest. She felt that pull inside her chest; an uncomfortable sort of tugging that made it hard for her to breath. She rested on a wilting tree and clutched her chest as the pain grew more acute. It had been happening more often, and she couldn't figure out the cause. A tear began to fall from her lower lid and landed on her clutched fist.

_Why? Why does it hurt so much…._

Rio groaned as she felt the pain course through her chest and further through her entire body, and then the images came—her star-eyed lover. His warm smile and pallid skin; his sweet lips on hers, graced her vision. His back towards her as he began to walk away… it flashed through her mind and the tugging became unbearable. She let out an infernal scream as she longed for his return. She opened her eyes and found that she was still alone, but at least the pain was gone.

_Damn it! Why does it keep happening?_

She wiped her brow of the sweat that had accumulated in her throws of pain and passion—there would be a time when she wouldn't have time to escape into the forest and hide, but for now she would keep it a secret for as long as she could.

"Rio!" She heard her name being called from back at the house and quickly recomposed herself.

She flew towards the house and saw that it was Ayeka who was waving at her.

"Need help?" Rio offered.

"Not exactly, it's time to get ready." Ayeka's smile spread from ear to ear as she grabbed Rio by the wrist. "You can't talk your way out of this one I'm afraid. Finally a chance to comb that unruly hair of yours."

"Hey! I _do_ comb my hair!" Rio retorted in her defense.

"I've seen you brush it once or twice, but that could hardly be called grooming oneself." Ayeka kept her firm grip on her niece's arm.

Ayeka turned to look at Rio, only to find one of Ryoko's many facial expressions plastered on the youth's face. Ayeka chuckled at the resemblance, but didn't let it faze her as she sat the girl down in front of a mirror. She combed the lustrous locks of light blue hair and began to put it into a ponytail when Rio suddenly protested.

"What are you doing?" She took the ribbon from Ayeka's hand.

"What do you mean? Give that back!" She snatched the ribbon back. "I've never seen you with your hair up, so now is the perfect chance." Ayeka continued with her maneuvers and before Rio could stop her, it was already done.

"Wow Rio, you look really beautiful." Sasami had come into the room and her eyes absolutely sparkled as she looked at Rio's hair.

Rio blushed slightly, unused to the compliment paid to her and just nodded in agreement. Sasami chuckled at the other girl's bashfulness and pulled up a seat beside her. With movements as swift as Rio's sword fighting capabilities, Sasami had managed to pull out an assortment of beauty products from out of nowhere. Rio's jaw dropped as she realized these things were going on her face.

"It's just a little bit of makeup." Sasami reassured her as she began applying mascara and eyeliner to Rio's eyelashes and lids.

"Fine…" Rio muttered but was soon told to keep quiet or else Sasami might make a mistake.

After battling, for what seemed like ages, with Rio to let Sasami curl her eyelashes (Rio swore the device would surely pluck her eye out…) they were finally done. Afterwards Ayeka couldn't help but marvel at the transformation she had performed on Rio. No doubt she was beautiful without any make up, but it did help to accentuate her features a bit more—especially her eyes. They were so golden and intense in contrast with her dark mascara and eye shadow. Rio kept on muttering about being harassed but could not help but smile and blush when she looked at herself in the mirror.

The rest of the girls got ready in record time and changed into their dresses. Ryoko had let Ayeka pick out the color of dresses that her bridesmaids would be wearing and because of that they were all a pastel purple. Rio put hers on cautiously—she had never really had to wear something like this. It was really efficient for anything—one couldn't battle with it on without being distracted by the fact that it could reveal some rather secret possessions. However even seeing herself in the dress bought her a sense of wonder—perhaps there were other purposes for these seemingly useless articles of clothing.

"Alright we're all ready and it's just about time." Ayeka squealed with excitement. "I'm sure the men are ready—they should be anyways."

Rio smirked and phased away before anyone could tell her otherwise. She appeared in her father's room and found him adjusting his bow-tie.

"I'll help you with that." She gently took hold of his bow-tie and readjusted it so that it lay perfectly on his collar.

"Thank you, Rio." Tenchi sighed in relief as he took a seat in his chair. "You look beautiful by the way."

Rio blushed again and thanked him.

"So dad, are you ready?" Rio leaned next to him.

"You know, after knowing your mother for so long and being dragged into so many crazy predicaments, I can finally say that I'm ready."

"You're going to have a space pirate as your wife, a mad genius as your mother-in-law and a time-traveling daughter." She chided him and he chuckled.

"I don't think I was cut out for a normal life anyways."

"Very true, so did Mom tell you…"

"About the twins." Tenchi finished her sentence and smiled in acknowledgement. "Of course, I knew at the same time she did, as did Washu."

"I should have known too!"

"We wanted to surprise you." Tenchi explained.

Rio nodded with a smile, "It was definitely a good surprise—I'm happy that I get to have two siblings at once."

"I just hope they don't start shooting energy balls and flying too soon…" Tenchi sighed at the thought but then chuckled as he pictured the possibilities.

"You never know" Rio smiled and turned to leave.

"Rio…" she stopped to look at her father. "Are you alright? You seem a bit… sad." Tenchi looked at his daughter with worry.

Rio stood still for a moment; awed that her father could read her so well when everyone else seemed to be fooled by her happy charade. No matter how much she wished to confide to her parents she knew now was not the time.

"Sad? Of course I'm not sad!" She smiled and rushed to hug her father. "I'm as happiest as can be right now—I finally have the life I've always wanted; the family I've always yearned for." Rio repeated the mantra she had created whenever she began to slip into depression—she had no reason to be sad since her wishes had been granted.

"I'm always here for you, don't forget that." He smiled down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

She blushed furiously, but felt warm within as she departed his room. She stopped in the hallway and put her hands to her face. She had to hide her sorrow, if for only this day. If her father was able to see through her, no doubt her mother had noticed as well.

"I am happy…" She whispered as her teeth clenched—the pain in her chest was returning. "I am happy!" she shouted, hoping to make the pain wane.

Ryoko quickly opened her door as she felt a sharp pain pass through her mental link and looked outside to find her daughter with her back pressed against the wall. Rio winced as the pain became unbearable and beads of sweat began to form on her brow, but she still smiled as her mother came into view.

"Rio?" Ryoko reached out a hand to touch her daughter's forehead.

"It's nothing, I'm fine. Hurry go back in, no one's supposed to see you yet… in your dress." Rio muttered through clenched teeth as she gripped at her chest and turned away.

"Hey wait!" She grabbed her daughter's wrist and pulled her gently into an embrace.

Rio cursed her lack of strength at the moment. The pain made her weak. Ryoko felt her daughter's heartbeat pace at an incredible speed. Rio lay on her mother's chest and was lulled by her calmer and steady heartbeat; it began to ebb the pain away.

"It's okay, I'm alright now." Rio smiled as her breathing returned to normal and she pulled out of the embrace. "I better go find the other bridesmaids—it's almost time!" Rio smiled brightly as she raced down the stairs before her mother could apprehend her.

'What was that all about?' Ryoko wondered and worried as she recalled how fast Rio's heart was beating earlier. 'Stubborn girl…' she sighed as she placed a hand to her forehead.

'She gets that from you.' Washu's voice rang through her thoughts.

'Maybe… though I think it can be traced back to you.' Ryoko said in revolt.

Washu chuckled, 'are you ready?'

'I've been ready for a really long time.' Ryoko smiled as she looked down at the elegant white dress she adorned—finally she was getting what she wanted.

'I'll be there shortly.'

Ryoko smiled as she waited in her room and fiddled with her hair—it had been so long since she had put it up like this; the last time was when she visited Tenchi in Tokyo. It felt so long ago. Since the appearance of Rio, everything began to feel surreal in a sense, but Ryoko welcomed it. Today she would become Tenchi's wife and he would become her husband; she chuckled as she recalled how Washu would only give her blessing if she was allowed to be the one to walk Ryoko down the aisle.

'Who else could it have been?' Ryoko rhetorically wondered as she awaited her mother.

"Alright let's go." Washu took her daughter by the arm and led her towards the door. "You look so beautiful, my little Ryoko."

Author's note: Once again I ended shorter than I wanted to, but this is definitely longer than the first chapter. Anyways sorry for not posting in a long time! I have no good excuse -_-…. However I'm thinking about splitting this story into two tracks, as in an A and a B path. As I come closer to the split I will put up two chapters that show these different routes. Whether or not one of them does good or not, I'm still going to keep up with both. I'll always label them after the split so it doesn't get too confusing ;p. However this may mean that it'll take longer to update, but not too much longer. Alright thanks for reading, and please review! ^_^


	3. Chapter 3: Til Death Do We Part

**A/N: I've just noticed that I haven't put any disclaimers -_- I do not own Tenchi Muyo! And only take responsibility for my own characters. Now please read, enjoy and review! Oh and I agree with you DarkPatu on Ryoko not being quite cut out to birth twins, but I had thought of two characters and couldn't just set my mind on one…. So I picked both ^_^. **

SPT II

Chapter 3: 'Til Death Do We Part

The wedding began with one of Washu's inventions taking care of the musical requirements. As Rio stood on the side with the other bridesmaids, she caught sight of her mother and was struck with awe. She had always believed her mother to be a divine woman, but now she exceeded even that description. The white dress accentuated her curves, even though this was probably by far the most concealing piece of clothing she ever wore, and the veil only added to her mystique. Washu, in her adult form, beamed with pride as she made her way down the aisle. Rio turned to see Ayeka on the verge of tears but with a smile nonetheless. Her father's expression was priceless as he looked completely smitten.

"Ryoko…" He let her name slip out in a whisper as he took her hand in his.

"Hey Tenchi…" She said calmly— Rio smirked at her mother's collected-self; she would always be that type of woman: keeping her fragile side to a minimum.

"Are you two ready?" Yosho asked as he stood in front of them—apparently he was endorsed to conduct marriage ceremonies.

They both nodded and the rites commenced. Rio felt her heart pound as she watched her parents exchange vows. Ayeka had never seen either of them as happy as they were in that moment—the moment each of them said 'I do.' Ryoko felt a sense of accomplishment as Tenchi's lips gently pressed against hers, and she took it a step further by deepening the kiss much to Washu's dismay—her daughter had absolutely no societal manners to speak of. Rio and Yosho chuckled as Ayeka's cheeks blushed red at the scene; Sasami could only giggle and Mihoshi followed suit. Soon after the festivities commenced.

"Finally my Tenchi has found himself a good wife!" Tenchi's father burst out in joy, a feint blush on his cheeks and a bottle of sake in his hands.

"Noboyuki you're even worse than Ryoko…" Washu muttered as she took the bottle away from him.

"Hey…" He whined as he realized his alcohol had disappeared.

"I take offense to that; I haven't drunk anything these past 8 months." Ryoko exclaimed with pride.

"That's because you've had a baby in your stomach." Ayeka wryly said as she pinched Ryoko's cheek playfully.

"She's right, if it weren't for my siblings, you'd be on your fourth bottle by now… at least." Rio joined in the jesting as she wrapped her arms around her mother from behind and pulled her into a hug. "Looks like I'll have to take over for you." Rio smirked as her mother looked defeated in a sense.

"There's still other ways to have fun." Tenchi butted in and gave his bride a soft kiss on the lips.

She nodded as a dreamy gaze overtook her; Tenchi pulled her away from the rest of the group and began to dance. Truth be told he was never much of a dancer because he was always such a clumsy guy, but this time he felt completely in sync with his partner. He knew he wouldn't step on her; all he had to do was follow the sway of her body. She would've liked to rest her head on his chest, but the bump on her belly left a big enough gap for that to be a difficult task. Ryoko didn't mind though, she was just happy that she could be with Tenchi like this; that she could have a day such as this one.

After everyone had enough of dancing Washu rounded them all up—it was time to let the memories reel.

"As you all know, I'm the greatest genius that ever graced this universe, and that being said, with the help of my equally talented granddaughter, we have composed one of the greatest gifts ever." Her gaze fell on Ryoko. "To you my dear, who has had so much taken from you, I give you back a piece of the heart that was always yours." Ryoko's eyes widened in curiosity as Washu placed her hand on the glowing orb of multiple colors.

Rio watched as the scenery around the whole group began to change. The same scene from last time played out first. Ryoko placed a hand over her lips as she looked at her younger self and Washu interact—could life have been so idyllic? She kept her eyes focused on the image of her mother and her, and felt her heart thump vigorously.

A new scene came into view and this time Ryoko was a bit older; she looked around 5 or 6. She stood at the doorway of what seemed like Washu's bedroom. Her expression was one of sleepiness and fear as if she had just awoken from a nightmare. She carried a raggedy, what once looked like it might have been white, lion in one hand while the other was employed in wiping away her tears.

'_What's wrong Little Ryoko?' Washu was at work on a desk near her bed when her daughter had appeared._

'_Mama, I'm scared…' She ran to her mother and wrapped her tiny arms around her torso._

_Washu broke free from her work and looked down at her toddler who was sniveling and quivering from fear. _

"You were usually too proud to come to me for comfort, so when you did, I knew you were pretty shaken up." Washu explained as everyone watched.

_Washu glanced back at her work… she was so close to solving one of the many mysteries that had been plaguing her since last week. She felt a tug at her sleeve and looked down to see Ryoko's watery, golden orbs full of need—her work could wait for tonight._

"It wasn't always like this… later on I would send you back to your room, or you'd fall asleep on my bed while I worked. I was so consumed by my work…" Washu reminisced with regret as she examined the memory.

'_Can we sleep together?' Ryoko looked up at her mother with the same needy expression._

'_Of course my little Ryoko; it's about time I get to bed anyways.' She pushed her chair aside and took her daughter in her arms. At this Ryoko felt safe from the monsters that plagued her in the dark of her room; in her mother's arms there wasn't a single thing that could harm her._

'_Thank you Mama.' She murmured as she dozed off into a comfortable sleep._

'_Goodnight Ryoko.' She kissed her temple and lay beside her on the bed._

Ryoko kept watching in earnest, knowing somewhere deep down that these were real memories. Although she could not remember them exactly, she still recalled the emotions. She looked ahead at Washu who was hugging herself and biting on her lip so she would not cry. Before she knew what she was doing, Ryoko embraced her mother from behind. Washu felt Ryoko's warmth wash over her and at long last she was able to let her sadness flush away. Ryoko faintly remembered how safe she once felt in her mother's arms, and now she would return the favor.

Similar scenes played out with Ryoko either being mischievous or extremely adorable. The Hakubi women all smiled as they recognized certain traits that tied them all together—a wild streak that ran through all of them.

"Thank you…" Ryoko whispered into Washu's ear as the memories came to an end. "You know… you weren't half bad at being a mom. I only hope I can do the same."

"You already have." Washu's gaze went straight to Rio who was smiling up at the star-filled sky. "If you don't mind, I'd like to add some more memories to the device… I have data of when you first found her."

Ryoko nodded and gave her mother a tight squeeze before she let her go. She walked towards Rio, who had taken to lying on the grass, and took a seat beside her. Rio was unfazed by her mother's appearance, in fact she hadn't even noticed that someone was right beside her—all she saw were the stars. She thought back to the battle with Kronos and the events of that day; the day she had met him—Salvatus. His eyes were star filled as if galaxies filled his very irises; to her looking at the sky was the closest she could get to remembering how it felt to look into his eyes. Ryoko watched her carefully, noting the sweet sadness in her expression; her eyes never wavered from the night sky. Ryoko looked up in the same direction and saw nothing but stars—what was she looking for? She put a hand to her daughter's forehead and chuckled as Rio jerked in surprise.

"Hey…." Rio greeted, trying her best to sound normal.

"What's wrong kiddo?" Ryoko looked at her with a calm smile. "You seem a bit out of it."

"Just thinking…." Rio wasn't sure she could hold it in any longer. The palpitations of pain were occurring more often and her thoughts were becoming darker as the days passed by. "I met someone."

Ryoko nearly let her jaw drop but kept her composure seeing as Rio already looked flushed as it was.

"Oh really?" Ryoko smirked. "So when do I meet the guy?"

Rio couldn't help but feel the want to cry; the urge to shout up at the heavens welled within her, but she kept silent all the same. Her head turned to the side so that she could hide the tears from her mother, but she could not stop her body from shaking.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Ryoko leaned over to put her arm around her daughter.

Rio felt her mother's arm drape around her and for a moment she felt a small wave of warmth and love, but a rushing tide of sorrow overcame her. The sharp pain cruelly pricked at her heart as she clutched her chest in a desperate attempt to control herself. Ryoko grew alarmed at her daughter's strange convulsions and soon the whole family had come to see what the problem was.

"I'm fine….really." Rio smiled nervously as she began to sweat from trying to conceal her pain.

She stood on her wobbly legs and began to straighten up, but came crashing down as she shouted in pain. Her anguish began to throb and an eternal sense of agony began to fill her. Ryoko took a hold of Rio and looked at Washu for aid.

"I'll take her to the lab." Washu propped up Rio with the aid of her arm. "Meet me there… don't even try phasing." Washu lectured before she teleported away.

Washu quickly lay her granddaughter on a operating table and began to take her vitals. On a physical level everything was fine and working properly, but one look at her psyche waves and Washu became wary of what was causing the pain.

'_Her emotions are inducing her brain to emit certain shocks to her sensory unit… if this goes on…'_

Washu gasped at the possibility of Rio falling into a sort of stasis. Rio began to thrash on the bed and so Washu had no other choice than to restrain her. She quickly administered a calming anesthesia but realized it would have no effect—like Ryoko's metabolism, Rio's body would burn up the drug in no time.

"What's happening?" Ryoko had made her way to the lab.

"Her neural system is acting strange… we need to stabilize it." Just as Washu began explaining, Rio's heartbeat suddenly became dim on the heart rate monitor.

"Washu?" Ryoko said as tears clouded her vision.

Washu worked frantically as she tried to stabilize Rio's heart rate. Her body was suddenly deteriorating, as if she lost her will to live. _No! I won't lose her! _Washu kept her focus even as her own heart beat at an alarmingly fast rate.

"She'll make it through." Tenchi murmured softly into his wife's ear, rubbing her shoulders as she began to softly weep. "She's a fighter, always has been."

Ryoko looked at her daughter's limp body hoping that she would just pop right up and say it was just one big joke, but she didn't. Ayeka rushed in with the rest of the family and watched in heavy anticipation as Washu continued to administer her procedures. She had somehow managed to get Rio's heart rate to a somewhat decent flow, but her breathing was still quite shallow. She grasped Rio's hand and was shocked to feel how cold it was. _Why is this happening? _Washu placed her hand on her forehead and was unsettled at the lack of response.

"She's stable…for now." Washu sighed as she turned to face the gang. "I'm not quite sure what's setting her off like this, but hopefully with a few tests I'll be able to pinpoint the problem and eradicate it."

Just as the gang took in a deep breath of air a sudden splash of water hit the ground. Tenchi looked down and found that his once dry shoes were wet. What was at first a face of utter confusion turned into one of startled realization—Ryoko's water had broke! Tenchi gasped as he held onto his now groaning wife.

"Hurry place her on the spar e bed!" Washu shouted at him and he followed her orders immediately.

"Why didn't you say you were having contractions?" Tenchi enquired as he held Ryoko's hand.

"I was too busy worrying about Rio's life!" Ryoko shouted back as she tried to overcome her pain with anger.

"Ayeka mind giving me a hand?" Washu waved the princess over as she prepped Ryoko for childbirth.

"Of course Little Washu." Ayeka hurried down. "Sasami would you mind waiting in the living room… you too Yosho." She shooed them away even as their curious gazes kept on Ryoko.

"Damn! Why the hell did I let you impregnate me with two kids!" Ryoko shouted at her meek husband who could do nothing but scratch the back of his head.

"Hey it's not like I intentionally planned it that way." He muttered in his defense.

"Argh!" She gripped on to the blankets as a wave of pain coursed through her.

"Just remember what we went over." Washu said calmly.

"I'd like you to try and remember anything while feeling like this!" Ryoko retorted. "You cheated and used a tube to have me!"

Washu chuckled as she realized Ryoko wouldn't be making this easy for anyone, but she did have a point—Washu had never known the pains of childbirth and she wasn't too sure she was sorry for it. She gently ordered Ryoko to begin pushing and sure enough her daughter followed. Tenchi watched in both horror and awe—he had never seen Ryoko so intensely focused and at once disheveled. Her skin produced beads of glistening sweat as she felt her muscles continue to contract. Washu smiled as she took in her hands one of the babies and soon the next. One wailed with a tremendous amount of vocal power, while the other gave a soft cry but settled down soon enough. Washu quickly cleaned them off and wrapped them in blankets so that their huffing mother could finally hold them.

"Here's your boy… he hardly even wailed." The soft boy with a tuft of baby blue hair was gently placed in Ryoko's arms.

As Ryoko cradled him a small smile played out on the boys lips. Ryoko stared wide eyed and lovingly at the small boy—he had the gentle nature of his father but the physical attributes of his mother.

"And here's your girl, as loud as you are." Washu winced as the child wailed in her arms.

Ryoko chuckled as she took the infant in her other arm.

"Why so loud, little one?" Ryoko whispered down at her dark-haired daughter. "I know you're here, so no need to shout."

The tiny girl ceased her wailing as Ryoko's voice soothed her tiny ears. Ryoko chuckled as a tiny smile appeared on her daughter's lips. Ryoko smiled and couldn't help but let a few tears drip free from her lids as she felt Tenchi's hand on her shoulders.

"I'm guessing you've picked out names." Washu said gently as she wiped her daughter's brow.

"Of course…" Ryoko sighed with happiness as she looked first at her daughter. "I picked her name—Ryuuken."

"And I picked his" Tenchi looked down at his son. "Tenchu."

"Washu…can you put my bed by Rio's" Ryoko panted as she suddenly felt weariness gently caress her.

"Of course." Washu wheeled her over to Rio's still body.

"Look, you two, this is your older sister. She's going to be very angry that you guys decided to come out when she's not awake." Ryoko chuckled with minor sadness. "But when she does wake up, she'll…" Ryoko choked back her tears as she grasped her daughter hands in hers. "Please wake up." She murmured before fatigue had rendered her unconscious.

Washu took the infants in her arms; she would run some tests on them to make sure they were healthy. The knot in her heart tightened as she saw how Ryoko clutched on to Rio's hand even while she was unconscious—everyone had been through a lot today.

"There's never any down time for this family, is there?" Washu piped up as she cradled Ryuuken and Tenchu.

Tenchi nodded in agreement, gave his infants a small kiss each and returned his focus on Rio and his weary wife. For now he would rest by their side, and tomorrow hopefully Rio would be awake as well. The night passed, each of the Hakubi women with a swirl of emotions in their hearts.

Rio did no wake the next morning or the morning after that… in fact she had become comatose. Ryoko mourned but could not even do that as her two infants took up much of her energy. Washu grew frustrated daily by her inability to locate the problem—there was seemingly no scientific reason why Rio had suddenly slipped away from them in consciousness. If it weren't for the two new bundles of life, the Masaki household would be completely webbed in misery, and for this Tenchi was grateful. He held Ryoko every night since Rio's condition and murmured in her ear until she fell asleep.

**A/N: Aha well I actually had more to this chapter but decided to save it for the next one because this is going on longer than I thought it would. Hopefully you're enjoying it so far, and thanks again to all of you who reviewed. I know I kind of whirl-winded everything together** **and I'm sorry for that, and I promise not to do that so much; I was just really excited to get to a certain point in the story. Alright, next chapter should be up soon, til next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

SPT II

Chapter 4: Awakenings

Rio lay on the bed seemingly asleep, nestled in the white sheets Washu had provided. She dreamt of her star-eyed lover and his soft, honey lips and forgot the family she had left behind. She wished she could have stayed here forever, lost in the sublime reality of ethereal bliss. The piercing pain that had plagued her chest was forevermore absent as long as she was here in his arms, but every once in a while a distant image blurred her thoughts—a cyan-haired woman with a fierce gaze and the gentle smile of a dark-haired man.

'_It's time for you to wake up…' She saw her lover's lips move._

_She shook her head in disagreement and clutched on to his arm—she wouldn't let him leave this time. He smiled lovingly but withdrew his arm all the same. _

'_If you don't, you'll never find me… and I'll continue to be nothing more than a dream.' His words were dipped in sorrow. 'Please find me… I've been searching for so long.' He turned his back to her and began to walk away but stopped midway and said, "One more thing… the form you see me in now is nothing but your rendering of me; do not let appearances deceive you." He turned back around and continued to further himself._

'_No…wait! Don't go!' she shouted after him, reaching her hand out as if to pull him back, but she seemed to move against the very fabric of time and before she knew it, he was gone. _

"Ah!" She lurched forward but regretted it as a dull pain in her head began to throb.

She clutched her head in her shaking hands and cursed; she took a look around and found that she was in her grandmother's lab.

"That's right…Grams." Her memories were rushing back and sadness began to set in as she realized who she had forgotten.

She sighed as she looked at the cart beside her and found a notepad; as she picked it up she read the info on it:

Subject shows no signs of physical degradation, but emits strange neural waves.

The rest read with a load of technical terms that Rio's thudding mind could do without, but as she looked to the top right she caught sight of the date and her heart nearly dropped to her stomach—3 months had passed. Rio yelped as she started to disconnect all the wires that had been attached and pushed herself off the bed. However not having three months of movement she was unusually off balance and ended up sprawled on the floor.

"Crap…" she muttered as she rubbed her shoulder which had taken most of the impact. "What the hell happened?" She tried once more to lift herself up and was more successful the second time around.

As she stood she felt something within her resonate and call her. She clutched her chest and phased out of the lab. Rushing winds graced her skin and the pleasant scents of nature intoxicated her as she drew closer to the woods. She heard a distant ring, a melodious bell and it was her goal to get closer to it, to find whatever it was that was making that beckoning sound. She stood in a clearing and heard as the roaring wind encompassed her, but was it really wind? She opened her eyes wide as she realized the trees weren't swaying and that this tremendous roar was not the wind. She felt that all too familiar pain in her chest once more and gasped in pain as she knelt to the ground. Soon enough she curled into a fetal position and writhed in agony. She winced open her eyes as she struggled to breathe and suddenly she heard a voice atop the rushing sound. It started off soft and became louder and louder until she understood.

"Hey! Are you ok?" The stranger asked.

Rio felt the pain ebb and finally she felt a sense of peace as she looked into the stranger's eyes—they were filled with swirling galaxies.

**A/N: This chapter is super short for one purpose; I'm going to split the story in two routes! Route A and B. They will basically be the same story line except for the character that plays Rio's lover. Haha I couldn't decide on what to do so I'm perfectly content with making two ^_^. As of late I've been really delving into my gender studies and examining all kinds of relationships. Thus I'm going to pair her off with both a male in one story and a female in the other. A will be the male and B the female. I know not everyone's comfortable with the topic so I felt the need to provide both. Alright Enjoy! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5A: Familiar Stranger

Disclaimer: I simply do not own any of the Tenchi franchise whatsoever.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this took FOREVER to get done!

SPT II

Chapter 5(A): Familiar Stranger

Rio couldn't believe it as she continued to stare doe-eyed into the star-filled eyes of the stranger. She blinked and blinked again to make sure she hadn't hit her head and started hallucinating, but no matter how many times she blinked the stranger's eyes remained the same.

"Hey are you alright?" The stranger waved a hand in front of Rio in hopes she would react.

"You…" Rio managed to say through her numb lips— her body seemed completely to melt.

The stranger cocked an eyebrow and kneeled down beside Rio. "You really are sweating, aren't you?" The stranger took out a handkerchief and wiped Rio's brow gently. "There you go."

Rio sat in disbelief as she continued to soak in the stranger's presence; was this some kind of vision or waking dream? She traced his every feature and couldn't help but find all the similarities this man had with her Salvatus. She raised her hand meekly, trying to touch his cheek but her overwhelming emotions rendered her immobile as she passed out once more. The stranger quickly caught her before she could hit the ground and held Rio in his arms.

"Just my luck" he sighed as he picked up the cyan-haired girl and looked towards the shrine he had been heading up towards. "I'm sure someone here will know where you came from."

As he climbed the steps he couldn't help but take notice of the girl's alluring features. Her long, dark lashes, and though her eyes were closed, he knew of the gold that hid behind her eyelids. He coughed slightly, realizing what he was doing could be taken as borderline lecherous and focused on the steps before him. By the time he had reached the top he began to wonder why he had ventured off the trail in the first place. He had ventured here for a single purpose—to enquire of the very strange happenings that had occurred near this shrine. He had been a free-lance journalist for some time, but had recently come into some luck and been hired to write for one of Tokyo's leading newspapers. He had heard bad things about this shrine, but no journalist, reporter or any type of media person had ever returned with much—he knew he could be the first. That's how he started off anyways, but as he approached the shrine, he felt inclined to veer off the path. It was because of this that he had found this girl struggling to breathe. The stranger sighed and looked around for someone that could aid her.

"Why hello there." He slightly jumped as he suddenly felt a presence behind him. He turned to find a rather kind looking man with a fair length of hair. "Oh! Looks like you've found who we've been looking for this entire time." He smiled casually at him.

"I found her in the forest." The stranger tensed suddenly aware that it didn't exactly look too good that he was carrying around an unconscious person.

"Don't worry, my intuition tells me you had nothing to do with her unconscious state, but I do think we should get her back home." Yosho smiled as he advised the young man to follow him. "By the way, what name may I thank you by?"

"Erynn Salvatus, but just Erynn is fine." He replied quickly and wondered if this was one of the strange inhabitants of the shrine.

"Salvatus… that's a strange name. Latin for salvation, isn't it?" Yosho started small talk as he led the way to the household—this boy had a strange aura about him; Yosho was almost positive he could see ethereal power glow from him.

"So I've been told." Erryn replied.

Yosho looked back and was surprised to see that the boy wasn't at all fatigued by the trek to the house hold.

"Would you like me to take her from you?" Yosho inquired as they neared.

"Looks like we're almost there, so it's not a problem." Erryn replied with a genuine smile; he really didn't mind holding her in his arms—it felt somewhat natural.

Yosho observed the man's lean form and somewhat toned muscles, but ever more suspicious were his strange eyes; they swirled with a light that was remarkable. He watched keenly as the young man laid his granddaughter on the couch.

"If I may ask, what manner of profession are you?" Yosho was curious.

"I'm a writer for—" Erryn caught himself before he could blow his cover. "I mean I write in my spare time, but for the most part I just travel." He cursed inwardly at his lame lying skills. _'Who the heck just travels?'_

"Ah I see, I took you for some kind of fighter." Yosho pressed on in his investigation.

"I was once…" Erryn commented with a distant gaze that persuaded Yosho to push further but he knew his time was up as soon as he saw Ryoko phase into the living room.

Erryn stood in complete shock as he saw a woman instantaneously materialize before him.

"Thank god!" Ryoko exclaimed, not even giving Erryn a glance, and wrapped her arms around Rio. "Where did you find her?" Ryoko looked straight at Yosho.

"I didn't find her." He replied in all honesty.

"Huh?" Ryoko was confused at his pointing gesture until she followed the direction and found herself face to face with a rather handsome young man. "Who are you?" Ryoko addressed with a slightly disgruntled tone.

'_She just materialized out of nowhere… I'll definitely note that in my piece.' Erryn thought as he examined the ladies features with cautious interest._

"My name is Erryn Salvatus, I found her in the woods; she was having a hard time breathing."

'_Salvatus!' Ryoko remembered the name._

"Come again? You name is Salvatus?" Her eyes widened as the young man nodded slowly, unsure of what Ryoko was getting at—did she know he was a journalist? "Do you have any family?" Ryoko was curious to figure out this boy's story.

"Not to speak of, I grew up in an orphanage." He replied with a casual smile hoping his answer wouldn't be taken with too much of a somber tone.

"I see…" Ryoko let her thoughts trail. _'I guess he might be the guy… the one Rio has been waiting for.'_ "Thanks for finding her; we were in quite an uproar." Ryoko spoke calmly as she moved strands of hair out of Rio's face.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi came running in and once again Erryn was completely ignored.

Yosho chuckled as his love came running in afterwards completely out of breath. She rested on his arm and gave a questioning glance towards the stranger. Yosho explained his presence and Ayeka simply nodded.

"Is she alright?" Tenchi gasped for breath as he checked his daughter for any physical damage.

"She's fine, thank to Erryn." Ryoko smiled as Tenchi gave her a completely baffled look.

He turned slowly to find a rather handsome, young man right beside him. His sharp features stood out as did his sandy-colored hair, but even with his intellectual features, Tenchi could tell he was more than book smart.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know we had company." Tenchi scratched the back of his head and introduced himself.

'_I wouldn't say I'm company exactly.' _He grinned and introduced himself.

Before anyone could settle down, Erryn yelped as he felt a sharp pinch on his head—someone had pulled his hair! He whirled around to find a chuckling, tiny, pink-haired girl holding a thread of his hair between her fingers.

'_Just one more strange thing to add.' _He groaned as he rubbed his head and looked questioningly at the strange girl.

"Thanks for the sample strange boy and for finding Rio of course, it's been some time since I've gotten the chance to do something like this." Washu yipped as she made her way to the lab.

'_Sample?' _Before Erryn could process the message, the door which the young girl had just walked through suddenly vanished.

"She has a bad habit of doing that." Ryoko explained as she placed her hands on the boy's shoulders. "I wouldn't think too much about it."

"Who are you people?" Erryn slightly backed away from the beautiful woman before him and kept a steely gaze.

"That's a little hard to explain." Tenchi sighed.

"Ugh…" Rio groaned as she finally came to. Everyone became silent as she slowly rose from her slumber. "The living room…" She blinked and found that her mother was right in front of her. "Mom!" She jumped into Ryoko's arms.

"Hey Kiddo! Long time no see." She chuckled as she held her daughter close.

Rio suddenly broke the embrace and examined her mother's stomach; her eyes widened as she realized it was no longer huge.

"You had… the babies already?" Rio sulked at missing their birth.

"The same day you knocked out." Ryoko explained apologetically. "They really couldn't wait."

The whole family began to chatter and filled Rio in on what she had missed. Erryn bit his lip and realized this was the perfect time to make an escape. He had secretly taken a few pictures of some of the strange occurrences he witnessed, and even though it wasn't enough for a full story, he would just have to be satisfied with what he had. There was no telling what would come next if he stayed any longer. He crept to the edge of the odd assortment of people and slowly drew the door open.

"Hey wait!" Rio caught sight of the young man trying to leave. "Don't go." She rose before anyone could protest and wrapped her arms around Erryn.

Erryn froze; his heart beating at an unusually fast rate and his body filled with warmth foreign to him. He turned slowly to look at the girl who had taken a hold of him—her golden eyes beckoned him to stay put.

"You can't just leave…" Rio wasn't all too sure why she had decided to act so rashly and was now feeling a bit bashful. "I mean, you should at least stay for dinner, as a thank you." She withdrew her arms but kept her gaze on the stranger's eyes.

"Umm sure, if I'm not too much of a burden—it seems like there's quite a bit of mouths to feed." He scanned over the Masaki family.

Ryoko chuckled and roughly put an arm around the boy's neck—it was a playful chokehold. Rio looked on in utter horror at her mother's antics, but Ryoko showed no intention of ending her antics. Ryoko had a feeling this was the person Rio had been waiting for this whole time, and she would know that once Rio knew his name, or perhaps she already did. She had very high expectations for this particular boy—Erryn was about to go through hell in order for Ryoko to gather how worthy he was of her daughter.

"Ahh…" He groaned as she man handled him; he had been trying to throw her off for some time, but she was unreasonably stronger than him.

"Don't worry Sasami always makes more than enough food." Ryoko chuckled as she let go of the struggling young man. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Hmmm?" Erryn raised his eyebrow as he followed Ryoko's gaze to Rio, who was still struck by the horror of her mother's brass behavior. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you were unconscious. My name is Erryn Salvatus, I hope you feel better soon." Erryn felt his cheeks burn lightly as he wished for Rio's health to improve.

'_Salvatus!' Rio kept her gaze on Erryn letting the name ring in her ears. 'But…' images of her star-eyed lover stormed through her mind: how could she have not noticed before!_

"Well that's a first." Ryoko chuckled and waved a hand in front of Rio's unwavering eyes. "Hey you know it's not good manners to stare." She whispered into her daughter's ear.

"Ah!" Rio finally came to and blushed profusely as she apologized. "I'm Rio Masaki, thanks for helping me out back there."

Before any awkward silence could persist, a wailing cry resounded within the Masaki household.

"That would be your sister." Ryoko phased away but not before beckoning her daughter to follow.

"Let's go!" Rio exclaimed and absentmindedly took Erryn's hand in her own.

Erryn, being bigger and a male, wasn't used to being pulled as if weightless by a woman. He swore that he had lifted off the ground at least 3 times as they whirled around corners and flew through hallways. Rio's smile spread from ear to ear as she beheld her siblings for the very first time. Ryoko held both in her arms as she gently swayed them.

"This one, your sister, is the loudest by far." Ryoko muttered as the child looked up at her mischievously with her golden eyes—just like her mother's and sister's. "On the other hand, your brother here is as sweet as can be." She smiled down at his gentle hazel eyes.

Rio pulled Erryn forward as she neared the infants and Erryn had no inclination to object. Ryoko handed her, her brother first, thinking he'd give Rio an easier time. She cautiously took him in her arms and cradled him. He gurgled slightly as he looked up with his gum less smile. Rio smiled back and gently caressed his baby blue locks of hair. He clumsily grabbed her finger and drew it towards his mouth to suck on. Rio chuckled and looked back at Erryn who smiled back warmly at the scene.

"Would you like to hold him?" Rio looked at Erryn fondly as she offered him, her brother.

Erryn fidgeted uncomfortably as Rio held out the murmuring baby towards her.

"I don't know if I'm any good with kids." Erryn stated flatly but Rio pulled him closer so that he could take him in his arms.

"What's his name?" Rio asked as she carefully put him in Erryn's arms.

"You're father named him Tenchu." Ryoko handed Rio her rambunctious sister. "And this here is Ryuuken; careful she's a handful."

Rio was drawn in by the child's luscious midnight tresses, completely different from Tenchu's or hers, yet her eyes were just the same golden color. Immediately Rio felt two hands go to her face and gently slid against her cheeks, and right when Rio thought it a very touching gesture, she felt her hair being yanked mercilessly. She winced as the infant laughed and continued to pull. Rio held her at a distance, wary of her sister's mischievous giggles and worse her strong little grasp. Ryoko chuckled as she watched the interaction between her two daughters.

"You sure have a wicked pull…." Rio muttered, slightly annoyed by the infant's constant attempts to grab her hair.

Ryoko switched her focus to Erryn and Tenchu who were currently having an intense staring contest. Tenchu kept giggling at the young man who held him and Erryn could do nothing but stare at him in wonder. Strangely enough he had never seen a baby or held one—his memories at the orphanage provided no such encounter. Tenchu held out his arms to him and gently patted Erryn's face. Rio watched with envy, seeing as her little brother didn't have the bad habit of pulling hair like Ryuuken did. As she watched Erryn her heart began to flutter as the boy began to smile and hold her brother tenderly. She blushed slightly and looked away, mostly because Ryuuken had gotten a hold of her hair again and began to pull with passion. With a final chuckle, Ryoko took Ryuuken from Rio and with one intense gaze bade the child to calm down.

"That's quite a talent, I don't remember you ever mastering mothering techniques when I was around." Rio jested as she patted down her disheveled hair.

"Yeah well I wasn't exactly expecting you to come, now was I?" Ryoko shot back with a playful grin.

Erryn looked up at the two women as their playful banter passed back and forth—Ryoko did look awfully young for being the mother of Rio; in fact they looked about the same age. Erryn kept more mental notes as he devised theories to write about in his article.

"Oh looks like you put him to sleep." Ryoko spoke barely above a whisper. "And here I thought he'd be hungry after his nap."

Erryn looked down to see that the baby had indeed fallen asleep, nestled in the crevice of his arm. It was a strange color of hair to have—baby blue, but Erryn found it to be remarkably beautiful as he looked at Ryoko and Rio. They seemed completely out of this world with their goddess-like beauty and strange powers. A rush of excitement passed through the young writer as he picked up on the possibility of producing the greatest story of his time—earth was inhabited by gorgeous, alien women! In the midst of his thoughts, Tenchu's light snore broke through and called his attention. Erryn looked at the child and smiled—even though this baby was alien, he was really no different.

"Here I'll take him." Ryoko reached out and took the baby in her arms. "Guess he's still sleepy." She turned her attention to her daughter and the young man. "Why don't you two get some fresh air before dinner?"

"Fresh air?" Rio squeaked as she whipped her head to look up at her mother.

"I'm sure Erryn would like to see the area around the house, y'know since he's a traveler and all." She winked at Erryn, chuckling as he tensed up with a nervous expression.

""Yes of course!" He replied immediately.

"Well alright, if you really want to." Rio stood and grabbed his hand surprised by his energetic nature. "If you don't mind, it'd be faster this way." She blushed as she held his hand, but acknowledged his approving nod.

She grabbed his hand and immediately teleported them to the lake. Upon touching the grass with her feet, she turned to look at Erryn. She nearly laughed out loud at his somewhat shocked slash mortified expression, but stopped out of courtesy. He looked down at his hands and sighed in relief at the sight of his two hands—he was still intact.

"Sorry, I didn't think it would be so bad." Rio apologized.

"No it's fine." He waved his hands frantically to dispel any negative thoughts he may have given. "I just… I've never done that." He grinned and scratched his head.

Rio chuckled as she realized he had some traits of her father.

"Perhaps I'll explain some things to you after dinner." Rio offered as she led him along the lake. "I bet you're confused about quite a few things."

"You could tell?" He jested as he walked alongside her, and blushed as he hand accidentally brushed against hers. "Sorry." He said with haste.

"So you're a traveler." She ignored the contact and quickly changed the focus of their attention.

Erryn cursed at his shallow lie; he really didn't want to be putting up such a façade, but if he didn't they probably wouldn't be so lax around him.

"Yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?" Rio raised an eyebrow.

"I travel and write, but I haven't been to too many places yet." He tried his best to provide more of a truthful answer.

"Will you be staying for long?"

"I'd like to, this place seems to have plenty for me to write about—a lot of beautiful things." He unintentionally looked right at her, causing her to smile up at him which in turn made him turn red.

"Have you always traveled?" Rio tried to get him comfortable again.

"No… I used to be a fighter, but I've given that up." He sighed dismissively.

She decided not to push the subject right at that moment, but kept a steady pace by him. He was just like her star-eyed lover when it came to physical description, but he seemed so different in nature. This boy was so nervous around her, while her Salvatus was completely calm and cool. However he had warned her that she would have to be patient, and that was what she would do—wait for the day when they could acknowledge each other as lovers.


	6. Chapter 5B: Familiar Stranger

Disclaimer: I simply do not own any of the Tenchi franchise whatsoever.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry this took FOREVER to get done!

SPT II

Chapter 5(B): Familiar Stranger

Rio couldn't believe it as she continued to stare doe-eyed into the star-filled eyes of the stranger. She blinked and blinked again to make sure she hadn't hit her head and started hallucinating, but no matter how many times she blinked the stranger's eyes remained the same.

"Hey are you alright?" The stranger waved a hand in front of Rio to draw out a reaction.

"You…" Rio managed to say through her numb lips— her body seemed completely to melt.

The stranger cocked an eyebrow and kneeled down beside Rio. "You really are sweating, aren't you?" The stranger took out a handkerchief and wiped Rio's brow gently. "There you go."

Rio sat in disbelief as she continued to soak in the stranger's presence. Her eyes strayed from the stranger's gaze and towards their chest—she was definitely a girl. Rio's mouth felt a bit dry as she tried to make sense of the feelings she harbored within, but she couldn't put her finger on it; not to mention she was a bit dazed from her earlier attack of pain. Before she could say another word she felt herself slip back into the darkness whence she came. The stranger quickly caught her before she could hit the ground and held Rio in her arms.

"You're such a mess… whoever you are." The girl muttered as she picked up the cyan-haired girl and looked towards the shrine she had been heading up towards. "Might as well see if someone here can tell me what to do with you."

As she climbed the steps she looked down at the sleeping beauty and found herself blushing. Before she could further indulge in the passed out girl's beauty she refused to look at her and kept her eyes focused on the steps above. By the time she had reached the top she began to wonder why she had ventured off the trail in the first place. The stranger had ventured here for a single purpose—to better her training. She had heard of a great swordsman that hailed from this shrine and was bent on becoming his apprentice, but as she approached the shrine she felt inclined to veer off the path. Without knowing exactly how, she had found this girl struggling to breathe. The stranger sighed and looked around for someone that could aid her.

"Why hello there." She slightly jumped as she suddenly felt a presence behind her. She turned to find a rather handsome man with a fair length of hair. "Oh! Looks like you've found who we've been looking for this whole time." He smiled causally at her.

"She was in the forest." The stranger tensed suddenly aware that it didn't exactly look good on her to be carrying an unconscious person around.

"Don't worry, my intuition tells me you had nothing to do with her unconscious state, but I do think we should get her back home." Yosho smiled gently as he advised her to follow him. "By the way, what name may I thank you by?"

"Arryn Salvatus, but just Arryn is fine." She replied quickly and wondered if this was the swordsman she had heard of.

"Salvatus… that's a strange name. Latin for salvation, isn't it?" Yosho started small talk as he led the way to the household—this girl had a strange aura about her; he was almost sure he could see ethereal power glow from her.

"So I've been told." Arryn replied.

Yosho looked back and was surprised to see that the girl wasn't at all fatigued at carrying his great granddaughter down the shrine steps.

"Would you like me to take her from you?" Yosho inquired as they neared the household.

"Looks like we're almost there, so it's not a problem." Arryn said nonchalantly but in reality she really didn't want to stop holding the girl in her arms.

Yosho observed the girl's strong demeanor and rather toned muscles, but even more alluring than that were her strange eyes; they swirled with a light that was remarkable—he scoffed as he realized he had just been 'checking' her out, and made a note to purify himself later on. He hurried them inside and instructed Arryn to lay Rio on the couch. Arryn did as she was told but never ventured far from the unconscious girl's side. After Yosho contacted the entire family, it was only a short time before they all appeared.

"Thank god!" Ryoko phased into the room, not even giving Arryn a glance, and wrapped her arms around Rio. "Where did you find her?" Ryoko looked straight at Yosho.

"I didn't find her." He replied in all honesty.

"Huh?" Ryoko was confused at his pointing gesture until she followed the direction and found herself face to face with a beautiful young girl. "Who are you?" Ryoko addressed with a slightly disgruntled tone.

'_She just materialized out of nowhere… what have I gotten myself into?' Arryn thought as she examined the ladies features with caution._

"My name is Arryn Salvatus, I found her out in the woods; she was having a hard time breathing."

'_Salvatus!' Ryoko remembered the name._

"Come again? Your name is Salvatus?" Her eyes widened as the girl nodded slowly, unsure of what Ryoko was getting at. "Do you have a brother?" She wasn't sure what she was getting at either, but for some reason that was the first question that popped into her head.

"A brother?" Arryn was confused at the sudden question but shook her head. "I grew up in an orphanage, but I've always known that I never had any siblings." She decided to give this as an answer so that no more awkward questions would have to be asked about her family situation.

"I see…" Ryoko rubbed her chin but sighed in defeat. _'I guess there's no way around it… she really is Salvatus.' _"Thanks for finding her; we were all in an uproar." Ryoko spoke calmly as she moved strands of hair out of Rio's face.

"Ryoko!" Tenchi came running in and once again Arryn was completely ignored.

Yosho chuckled as his love came running in afterwards completely out of breath. She rested on his arm and gave a questioning glance towards the stranger. Yosho explained her presence and Ayeka simply nodded.

"Is she alright?" Tenchi gasped for breath as he checked his daughter for any physical damage.

"She's fine, thanks to Arryn." Ryoko smiled as Tenchi gave her a completely baffled look.

He slowly turned to find a beautiful young woman right beside him. Her sharp features stood out as did her sandy-colored hair, but even with her beautiful features, Tenchi could tell she was a fighter. Her hair, for one, was kept at a minimum length and the way she stood as if ready to counterattack, told Tenchi this.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know we had company." Tenchi scratched the back of his head and introduced himself.

'_I wouldn't say I'm company exactly.'_ She sighed but also introduced herself.

Before anyone could settle down, Arryn yelped as she felt a sharp pinch on her head—someone had pulled her hair! She whirled around to find a chuckling, tiny, pink-haired girl holding her hair in between her fingers.

"What the hell?" She fumed as she made a quick grab at the mad scientist but was easily dodged.

"Thanks for the sample strange girl and for finding Rio, it's been some time since I've gotten the chance to do something like this." Washu yipped as she made her way to her lab.

Before Arryn could make it to the lab door it suddenly disappeared. She froze in place with her hand outstretched to touch the doorknob that was once there.

"She has a bad habit of doing that." Ryoko explained as she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I wouldn't think too much of it."

"Who are you people?" Arryn brushed off Ryoko's hands and turned to face the lot with a steely gaze.

"That's a little hard to explain." Tenchi sighed.

"Ugh…" Rio groaned as she finally came to. Everyone became silent as she slowly rose from her slumber. "The living room…" She blinked and found that her mother was right in front of her. "Mom!" She jumped into Ryoko's arms.

"Hey Kiddo! Long time no see." She chuckled as she held her daughter close.

Rio suddenly broke the embrace and examined her mother's belly; her eyes widened as she realized it was no longer huge.

"You had… the babies already?" Rio sulked at missing their actual birth.

"The same day you knocked out." Ryoko explained apologetically. "They really couldn't wait."

The whole family began to chatter and filled Rio in on what she had missed. Arryn sighed and decided this would be her perfect chance to get away from these strange voodoo magic people; the fabled swordsman would just have to be found elsewhere. She crept to the edge of the odd assortment of people and slowly drew the door open.

"Hey wait!" Rio caught sight of the girl trying to leave. "Don't go." She rose before anyone could tell her otherwise and wrapped her arms around Arryn.

Arryn froze; her heart beating at an unusually fast rate and her body filled with warmth foreign to her. She turned slowly to look at the girl who had taken a hold of her—her golden eyes beckoned her to stay still.

"You can't just leave…" Rio wasn't all too sure why she had decided to act so rashly and was now feeling a bit bashful. "I mean, you should at least stay for dinner." She withdrew her arms but kept her gaze on the stranger's eyes.

"Umm sure, if I'm not too much of a burden—it seems like there's quite a bit of mouths to feed." She scanned over the Masaki family.

Ryoko chuckled and roughly put an arm around the girl's neck— it was a playful chokehold. Rio looked on in utter horror at her mother's actions, but Ryoko showed no intention of ending her antics. Ryoko had a feeling this was the person Rio had been waiting for this whole time, and she would know that once Rio knew her name, or perhaps she already did. The fact that she was female, didn't bother her so much, she still had the same expectations as a mother—Arryn was about to go through hell in order to be worthy of her daughter. Ryoko chuckled as the youth struggled to break free from her grasp.

"Hey what's your deal?" Arryn struggled to break free and was surprised that this woman could really hold her down with just one arm.

"Don't worry Sasami always makes more than enough food." Ryoko chuckled as she let go of the flailing girl. "Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

"Hmmm?" Arryn raised her eyebrow as she followed Ryoko's gaze to Rio, who was still struck by the horror of her mother's brass behavior. "Oh yeah, I forgot, you were unconscious. My name is Arryn Salvatus, I hope you feel better soon." Arryn gave a slight blush as she wished for Rio's health to improve.

'_Salvatus!' Rio kept her gaze on Arryn letting the name ring in her ears. 'But…' images of her star-eyed lover stormed through her mind: his face, his lips, and his sandy hair._

"Well that's a first." Ryoko chuckled and waved a hand in front of Rio's unwavering eyes. "Hey you know it's not good manners to stare." She whispered into her daughter's ear.

"Ah!" Rio finally came to and blushed profusely as she apologized. "I'm Rio Masaki, thanks for helping me out back there."

Before any awkward silence could persist, a wailing cry resounded within the Masaki household walls.

"That would be your sister." Ryoko phased away but not before beckoning her daughter to follow.

"Let's go!" Rio exclaimed and absentmindedly took Arryn's hand in her own.

Arryn, being a capable fighter, wasn't used to being pulled as if she were weightless, but she felt like she was flying rather than running up the stairs when Rio rushed her forward. Rio's smile spread from ear to ear as she beheld her siblings for the very first time. Ryoko held both in her arms as she gently swayed them.

"This one, your sister, is the loudest by far." Ryoko muttered as the child looked up at her mischievously with her golden eyes—just like her mother's and sister's. "On the other hand, your brother here is as sweet as can be." She smiled down at his gentle hazel eyes.

Rio pulled Arryn forward as she neared the infants and Arryn had no inclination to object. Ryoko handed her, her brother first, thinking he'd give Rio an easier time. She cautiously took him in her arms and cradled him. He gurgled slightly as he looked up at her and smiled up at her with his gum less smile. Rio smiled back and gently caressed his baby blue locks of hair. He clumsily grabbed her finger and drew it towards his mouth to suck on. Rio chuckled and looked back at Arryn who smiled back warmly at the scene.

"Would you like to hold him?" Rio looked at Arryn fondly as she offered her, her brother.

Arryn fidgeted uncomfortably as Rio held out the murmuring baby towards her.

"I don't know if I'm any good with kids." Arryn stated flatly but Rio pulled her closer so that she could take him in her arms.

"What's his name?" Rio asked as she carefully put him in Arryn's arms.

"You're father named him Tenchu." Ryoko handed Rio her rambunctious sister. "And this here is Ryuuken; careful she's a handful."

Rio was drawn in by the child's luscious midnight tresses, completely different from Tenchu's or hers, yet her eyes were just the same golden color. Immediately Rio felt two hands go to her face and gently slid against her cheeks, and right when Rio thought it a very touching gesture, she felt her hair being yanked mercilessly. She winced as the infant laughed and continued to pull. Rio held her at a distance, wary of her sister's mischievous giggles and worse her strong little grasp. Ryoko chuckled as she watched the interaction between her two daughters.

"You sure have a wicked pull…." Rio muttered, slightly annoyed by the infant's constant attempts to grab her hair.

Ryoko switched her focus to Arryn and Tenchu who were currently having a most intense staring contest. Tenchu kept giggling at the girl who held him and she could do nothing but stare at him in wonder. Strangely enough she had never seen a baby or held one—her memories of the orphanage provided no such encounter. He held out his arms to her and gently patted her face. Rio watched with envy, seeing as her little brother didn't have the bad habit of pulling hair like Ryuuken did. As she watched Arryn, her heart began to flutter as the girl began to smile and hold her brother tenderly. She blushed slightly and looked away, mostly because Ryuuken had gotten a hold of her hair again and began to pull. With a final chuckle, Ryoko took Ryuuken from Rio and with one intense gaze bade the child to calm down.

"That's quite a talent, I don't remember you ever mastering mother techniques when I was around." Rio jested as she patted down her disheveled hair.

"Yeah well I wasn't exactly expecting you to come, now was I?" Ryoko shot back with a playful grin.

Arryn looked up at the two women as their playful banter passed back and forth—Ryoko did look awfully young for being the mother of Rio; in fact they looked about the same age. Arryn sighed, feeling that she had situated herself in a very strange household.

"Oh looks like you put him to sleep." Ryoko barely spoke above a whisper. "And here I thought he'd be hungry after his nap."

Arryn looked down to see that the baby had indeed fallen asleep, nestled into her bosom. To her kids had only been of one variety: annoying, but holding Tenchu in her arms was a completely different experience. It was calming and enjoyable. Once again Rio's heart began to race ahead as she watched Arryn lovingly hold her tiny brother. Ryoko watched her daughter from the corner of her eye—she had been blushing for a while now. As Arryn lifted her head to look back at Rio, Rio quickly averted her gaze and held her breath. Rio cursed inwardly at her strange behavior, but she couldn't help the battle going on within her—she was a girl and so was Arryn. It's not that she had never heard of such romances, but she had always thought her heart would beat fast only for a boy. She had never really thought of… well… falling in love with a girl. Sure she admired women for their beauty, but when she looked at Arryn she found herself more than admiring; in fact she was constantly fantasizing without meaning to. She felt a knot form in her chest as she struggled with her heart's wanting. Arryn had also been having the same inner monologue—she had never really been attracted to anyone, but upon meeting Rio she couldn't get the baby-blue haired girl out of her head. Arryn gently handed Tenchu back to Ryoko with a soft smile.

"Dinner should be ready soon." Ryoko whispered as she placed Tenchu in his crib. "You two should go out for a bit until then. I'll let you know when to come back."

"Go out?" Rio piped up, her nerves began to tense as she tried to keep her cool.

"I'm sure Arryn wouldn't mind getting to know the surrounding area." Ryoko said nonchalantly as she carried Ryuuken. "Maybe you could spar?"

Arryn's face lit up as she looked at Rio with curiosity. Was she the fighter she had heard about? She couldn't be! The swordsman she had heard about was supposed to be older… and she had assumed him to be a man.

"I'm not sure…" Rio spoke with hesitancy.

"If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to spar you." Arryn spoke up with a sincerity that Rio could not deny.

"Alight then it's settled, out you two go!" Ryoko pushed them both out of the room. "Have fun!"

Rio helped up Arryn who had not been expecting such a sudden push and fell to the floor.

"Sorry about that; you get used to her after a while." Rio chuckled sadly as she realized she had just lied; no one could ever get 'used' to the aura that was Ryoko. "Anyways I guess we should head out. If you don't mind—" Rio held out her hand to Arryn, "It's faster this way."

Arryn cocked her eyebrow but took the girl's hand slowly. The feeling of her flesh underneath her bare fingertips tingled Arryn's senses, and before she knew it she was out in front of the lake still hand in hand with Rio.

"I'm not even going to bother to ask." Arryn muttered as she sighed.

Rio chuckled at the girl's response. "Perhaps I'll get to fill you in some time; it might make things less confusing."

"I doubt it." Arryn said with a smug smile. "Anyways I'd like to just do hand-to-hand combat for now, if that's alright with you?"

"Fine by me." Rio made a mental note to take it easy on her opponent. "Ready when you are."

Arryn made the first strike by rushing forward, seemingly going for a direct punch. As Rio prepared herself to block the hit, Arryn vanished from her sight. Before she had time to realize where Arryn had gone, she felt a hard hit land on her back! The impact forced her forward, but with an uncanny easy she thrust her arms forward and pushed herself off the ground, regaining her balance after a graceful flip. Arryn smirked in satisfaction—she was a worthy opponent after all. She charged Rio again and once again disappeared. Rio closed her eyes and tried to feel where she was coming from. She quickly threw herself to the side as Arryn came crashing down from above again.

'_Damn she's fast!' Rio looked her over, but there was nothing indicating she was more than human._

Rio decided it was her turn to make a move. She had to stop herself from phasing and relied on her speed. She threw fists, which were countered by blocks, but she had managed to get in a few good ones. Arryn winced as she withdrew from the close encounter and held her ribs—that girl could sure pack a punch. After a few more skirmishes, both of them were huffing and puffing for breath. Rio smirked and extended her hand to Arryn. They shook and immediately after sat on the grass in exhaustion.

"I've never…" Arryn paused as she took a deep breath, "been so out of breath… before."

"Same… here." Rio chuckled but then regretted it as she felt a pain in her side.

"I'm sorry if I went too hard." Arryn watched with worry as the girl seemed to be in minor pain.

"I'm fine, really." Rio smirked as she watched Arryn get up.

Arryn offered her, her hand and lifted her up with ease. That's when Rio noticed that Arryn didn't look fazed at all; other than her heavy breathing, she didn't seem to be injured anywhere. In fact, it just looked like she had gone for a very taxing run, but showed no signs of pain whatsoever. Even Rio had suffered some brutal hits from the sparring round and couldn't deny the bruises; she also knew that she had landed some awfully hard hits on her opponent—she had forgotten to hold back.

"Are you alright?" Rio asked Arryn as they walked back to the house.

"Yeah, for the most part."

"You don't seem to be as bad off as me. I guess that means you won."

Arryn shook her head. "Not quite, you landed some heavy blows; perhaps I'm just better at hiding my pain." Arryn smirked. "In any case, I think a re-match is in order."

Rio nodded and felt at ease as she walked side by side with someone who she could finally call her equivalent, but what was she? Could it really be that Arryn was simply covering up her pain? Or was she something more?


	7. Chapter 6A: Fury Within

DISCLAIMER: I do not own TENCHI MUYO!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow... I am so sorry. This took way too long to publish and I apologize to my readers for the delay. You will probably note that 6A is 3 times shorter than 6B. The next chapter should make up for that shortage. The story diverges at this point so reading one will be very different from reading the other. I suggest sticking to one story if you're simply reading through it, but it's ultimately up to you. Thanks for reviewing, that's what actually got me going again. Happy readings!

Chapter 6: Fury Within

It was dinner time and Rio was in no mood for manners, regardless of the fact that they had company. Erryn looked down at his food and his mouth began to water as the savory scent reached his nose. He wasn't sure what he was eating although some items looked familiar, but it didn't really matter. He looked sideways at Rio and noticed how she was completely devouring her dish. He picked up his chopsticks slowly and forced himself to eat with some dignity. He placed the food near his lips and took a slight nibble– it was heavenly!

"You don't have to eat like the princess over here." Ryoko jested as she pointed towards Ayeka. "You can just follow suit with your partner over there." She chuckled as Rio finally looked up from her plate; she had rice all over her face.

"I domph know whatch yor talfin abou." Rio spoke bashfully; it was her first meal since waking and she was starving.

Erryn chuckled and decided eating at a faster pace wouldn't kill him or make him seem unruly.

"Erryn, we never got around to asking why you came up to the shrine since the commotion earlier this evening." Tenchi tried to kindle a conversation with his new guest. "What brings you here?"

Erryn almost choked on his food as his mind raced with possible answers he could use without blowing his cover.

"Well like I said before I'm a traveler and I just happened to find your shrine." Erryn grinned with reassurance. "It's really beautiful here."

"You're welcome to stay as long as you want." Tenchi said. "I could use your help in the fields."

"You farm?" Erryn was surprised by the normalcy. He was expecting Tenchi to be some kind of crazy shaman man that hunted ghosts for a living.

"With all these girls here, I have to provide for them some way." Tenchi chuckled.

The newcomer looked around at all the women that encompassed the table. Tenchi was right: there was a lot of girls here and they were beautiful. He had never seen such exotic looking girls in his life, but his heart only leapt when he rested his gaze on Rio. He didn't quite understand what it was about this girl that made his feel so nervous, or why she seemed to be the most beautiful of all the alien women.

"I'd be honored to help you in the field." Erryn agreed.

"I wonder how long that attitude will be kept." Ryoko smirked as Tenchi sighed at her blunt comment.

"He seems to be a fit young man." Yosho spoke up after taking a sip of his freshly brewed tea. "Erryn, what were you before you became a traveler?"

"I've always been a traveler."

"You seem to have a fighter's body." Yosho pointed out.

"That was a long time ago, or so it seems." Erryn's voice was solemn and bade Yosho to not push any further.

"If you wish, Rio is a master of swordsmanship, she could teach you a thing or two."

"Gramps! It wouldn't be fair." Rio sighed as she peered at the boy to her right; he looked downcast all of a sudden.

'Gramps?' He looked at Yosho– he looked no older than Tenchi.

This family had either found the fountain of youth, or they weren't natural humans, thought Erryn as he took note of every strange feature he had noticed. This family had the potential to make his story great, but how long could he stay here without them suspecting anything. Writing was his future, and his past was inconceivable. What he once was, he would never be again. He had lain his sword down long ago and vowed never to return to it. All weapons could do was hurt and create wounds. He had learned that some wounds never heal, and with that writing had become his sole occupation. The pen was a much more versatile tool.

"I wouldn't mind sparring with you." Rio mustered out. "It'd be nice after being asleep for so long."

Ryoko watched with the utmost attention as she observed her daughter's eyes- they glowed with a warmth that had been dull for some time. Ryoko smiled; as a mother it was hard watching her child suffer through a loneliness she could not fulfill.

"Perhaps I can give it a go sometime." Erryn replied as he looked into her golden eyes. Something within her reached out towards him and he felt compelled to take it. "I warn you, I'm not as defenseless as I may look."

After their meal, Rio all but dragged the secret reporter from his seat and prepared him for a spar. Erryn chuckled nervously as he wondered how he would manage to defeat her without hurting her. Never had he gone full out on a girl, and never would he as long as his honor remained.

"Don't hold back." Rio told him as she threw a wooden sword at him. "You'll regret it if you do."

He nodded but his thoughts made it clear that he was paying her words no heed. The duel commenced and before long his wooden blade met hers. He parried her attacks which were surprisingly fast and heavy at the same time. He struggled to keep up with her and ended up falling. Quickly he reacted and swept her feet before she could land a fatal blow. It bought him some time but he had failed to bring her down. He felt the pulse in his head tearing at his restraint. He closed his eyes, hoping the rage would settle. He parried one strike and then another, but each time he felt his anger being fueled and control slipping away.

What was it about this girl that caused such a reaction in him? Her battle stance and attacks all made him flash with fury. He gripped his blade and charged towards her, forgetting his honor or any other trivial emotion. Rio watched as the aura around him changed from a white to a crimson red. She dodged his first charge, but within moments he was at her back. His hit landed precisely on her back and, if she had been human, she would have been severely injured from the spine. She flew forward and regained her composure after spitting out blood. This entity that she was feeling reminded her of Kronos, and knew he had to be calmed before she could prod further into that feeling. Without restraint, she knocked his sword out of his hand and locked him in a grip using her arms to restrain his own.

"Erryn..." she whispered into his ear as he thrashed in her arms. "The duel is over."

"Get back!" He threw her over his back and dropped to his knees. "Stay away!" He took his head in his hands and screamed as the pain wracked his body.

Rio watched from a distance, unsure of what to do. She threw her wooden sword aside and approached Erryn.

"I said stay away, please." He said through gritted teeth. "I can't... control... this."

"I believe you can." Rio kneeled beside him and placed her hand on his own. "Please let me help."

Erryn looked up at her eyes and let her golden eyes bring his galaxy-filled ones to a calming stop. He felt the pain subside and then there was darkness. Rio took him in her arms as she stopped him from falling.

"I guess we're even now." Rio said with a sad smile.


	8. Chapter 6B: Inner Lashings

The Space Pirate Tales II

Chapter 6B: Inner Lashings

Author's Note: I owe all of you a lengthy apology (but don't worry it won't be TOO long ;p); I just want to apologize for not updating in a REALLY LONG time! This semester is definitely much better than last, but I do have a lot more on my plate... lately I've been using my free time to just catch my breath. Anyways let's get back to the world of Tenchi!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo! and only claim my own original characters.

Arryn picked up her chop sticks while suspiciously looking down at her food. Sure it _looked _normal, but was it really safe to eat? She poked her dumpling to see if it would deteriorate or poke back, but to her relief it did none of those things. Rio watched out of the corner of her eye, and held back a chuckle as she tried her best not to devour her food at an uncommon rate- it was her first meal since she had awoken. Meanwhile, Arryn lifted the dumpling to her lips and took a cautious bite. Without meaning to, she dropped the dumpling onto the plate, and let her mouth drop slightly- that was the best dumpling she had ever tasted! Feeling the gaze of the whole Masaki family, Arryn looked up to find all of them eyeing her curiously.

"It's delicious." She said with a faint blush as she picked her dumpling back up.

"Never doubt Sasami's cooking." Ryoko chanted her mantra as she dug into her meal.

Arryn gave a slight nod of respect towards the girl she had assumed to be chef and received a most joyous smile from the cerulean-haired girl.

"Arryn, we never got around to asking why you came up to the shrine since the commotion earlier this evening." Tenchi tried to kindle a conversation with his newest guest. "What's bring you here?"

"Well..." Arryn finished with her meal. "I heard of a swordsman of great renown in this shrine. I'd like to become his apprentice."

Tenchi began to cough as he choked on his freshly brewed tea. Arryn watched with a stoic gaze and guessed that this silly man could surely not wield a sword with dignity.

"Great renown you say?" Tenchi recomposed himself and smirked.

"Is there anyone here with such a description?" Arryn asked in all sincerity.

"I can think of a few, but why would you want to become their apprentice?" Tenchi held her gaze.

"Like any swordsman, I'm perfecting my art; do I need any other reason?" She kept her steely gaze as she countered Tenchi's concern.

"I see... well then, I guess the best swords 'man' we have here would be the one sitting right beside you." Tenchi pointed to his daughter. "She surpassed me and Yosho quite some time ago."

Arryn quickly turned to look at Rio who had followed in her father's mannerisms and nearly choked on her tea.

'It must run in the family...' thought Arryn with a dismissive sigh.

"That might be going a bit far." She spoke through her coughing fit. "But I suppose you do make a valid point... I could take both you and gramps at the same time."

'Gramps?' Arryn gave a quick glance at Yosho- he looked no older than Tenchi.

This family had either found the fountain of youth, or they weren't natural humans, thought Arryn as she took note of every strange feature she had noticed. Even then, could Arryn really pass up the chance to train under one of the most skilled swordsmen of her time? She eyed Rio, who was no doubt beautiful beyond all measures, and found something beyond beauty in her features: her eyes, though innocent to some degree, spoke a great deal of pain. Pain that was necessary in turning a warrior into a legend- perhaps she could deal with the strangeness after all.

"Will you accept me as an apprentice?" Arryn asked with no further doubt etched into her voice.

Ryoko watched with the utmost attention as she observed her daughter's eyes- they glowed with a warmth that had been dull for some time. Ryoko smiled; as a mother it was hard watching her child suffer through a loneliness she could not fulfill.

Rio could not simply shrug off Arryn's request; she looked quite sincere and honest. Rio thought of the strange beats her heart was making, and then of the Salvatus she had been waiting for. It was decided, Rio would become Arryn's master if only to make her stay for a while longer; at least enough time for Rio to decide what her heart wanted. Rio nodded with a smile and the gesture was returned by Arryn who had been holding her breath all the while.

"Here's to your future trials!" Yosho raised his cup and called everyone to cheers.

Arryn raised her cup; perhaps they weren't so weird after all.

After the meal, Arryn followed Rio to her room- it had been decided that they would share for at least one night, until Washu could configure another room for Arryn (Arryn had given up trying to figure what language the Hakubi women talked in). As she walked in Arryn noticed the simplicity of Rio's room and immediately took comfort in her surroundings.

"Right, I have one bed...but it's pretty big; I'm sure we'd both fit." Rio felt the heat rush to her cheeks. It was fine since they were both girls, right?

"That's fine." Arryn tried her best to keep a calm demeanor. "I don't move around too much."

"I... might." Rio admitted with an apologetic smile.

"Don't worry too much about it." Arryn assured her it would be fine; some part of her was actually thrilled at the idea; another part of her was discomforted by her reactions.

Rio sat on the bed beside Arryn, and let out a withdrawn sigh as she flopped her back on the bed.

"I promised to give you some explanations; you think you can handle them?"

"Try me." Arryn smirked as she followed suit and lay by Rio on her white sheets.

"My family isn't exactly fully human." She waited for Arryn to look at her like she just walked into an asylum; strangely enough she never did. "...we're part Jurian, a planet much like earth. Sasami and Ayeka are princesses, Yosho used to be a prince. My father would have been the next in line... so I suppose I could be a princess, but my mother on the other hand... hmmm that's a bit harder to explain." She kept eyeing Arryn for any signs of distrust, but she looked completely calm. "She's completely composed from my grandmother... who would be considered, well... how should I put this..." Rio brought her finger up to her chin and tapped it. "A super being- what we know as a Chousin."

Arryn waited patiently for Rio to finish her explanation of the family's lineage, and once it seemed that Rio was done explaining that, Arryn closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

"It must be hard to believe." Rio looked sideways at her new apprentice. "But I won't lie to you; you can at least believe that." Rio smiled warmly which surprised Arryn. "My mother, Ryoko, she has certain abilities that you might call impossible. Me, my grandmother, and most likely my siblings have the same abilities. You've witnessed the phasing, we can also summon energy and fly." Rio began to chuckle. "I never noticed how strange it all sounds, but then again I've never had to explain myself to anyone."

"You'd be locked away." Arryn said in all seriousness, but then betrayed a smug grin as she witnessed Rio's saddened expression. "I believe you, to some degree, but it's a lot to take in. As your apprentice, I have to learn to trust you." She held the girl's earnest gold eyes with her own.

Just then Rio felt herself being pulled by Arryn's galaxy-filled eyes. Arryn lay still as she suddenly froze with tangled feelings. What was it about this cyan-haired girl that made Arryn want to hold her? She drew closer, not really knowing what she was aiming for; all Arryn knew was that she ached to touch her lips. With lightning-like reflexes, Rio shook her head as she quickly sat up in an upright position- what was she just about to do?

"Sorry I dazed off." Rio said with a note of sadness in her voice. "Anyways, training will probably start after this weekend. I'd like to show you around a bit before we get started."

"Sounds great." Arryn retorted with haste; surely Rio would think she was strange by now.

"Oh, and you can just call me Rio... I'd feel strange if you called me sensei." Rio noted before they got under the covers.

"Alright, Goodnight Rio." Arryn spoke softly as she tried her best to fall asleep

"Goodnight Arryn." Rio spoke her name with a sense of comfort- it felt natural.

Arryn awoke with an irregular weight placed on her chest. As she dared to open one eye, her heart began to pace in earnest- Rio had not only rested her head on her chest, she had somehow managed to wrap her legs around Arryn's lower body. She took a sharp intake of breath and tried her best to think of a strategy to remove herself without waking Rio. She carefully began to detach herself, but before she could even think of removing Rio's legs, the slumbering girl had groaned in protest and pulled Arryn back to her original position. Now Rio's arms were clinging on to her.

'Can she really still be asleep?' Arryn wondered incredulously at the girl who had taken to nestling in her chest- she blushed at the feeling. 'If she wakes up...'

Rio let out a yawn.

'too late.' thought Arryn.

Arryn watched as Rio slowly came to, still comfortably nestled within Arryn's chest. Rio smiled as she dreamily looked about her surroundings, which consisted of...

'Wait... this is-" Rio's eyes widened as she realized where she was.

She looked up to see Arryn's blushing face, yet stoic gaze, and then her eyes trailed downwards. No wonder she had slept so comfortably. She had latched on to Arryn and made herself quite at home!

"I'm sorry!" Rio quickly removed herself from the other girl and began to bow in apology. "I didn't think I would move THAT much." She fretted and wondered if Arryn would think differently of her.

"It's fine." Arryn stated calmly as she got off the bed. "It didn't bother me." She tried to sound as natural as possible.

'Well that's not the worst thing she could say.' Rio sighed as she followed Arryn in putting on some normal clothes. 'At least she won't have to sleep with me from now on.' Rio couldn't deny the small tinge of sadness that came at that realization.

"Today's an off day, right?" Arryn asked as she looked at the somber girl.

"That's right, I wanted to show you around, if that's alright?" Rio perked up a bit as Arryn nodded in simple agreement.

There was a lot that she wanted to show Arryn: places that Rio kept close to her heart. If Arryn truly wanted to stay at the Masaki Shrine, she would have to find a place of calm she could retreat to. Rio knew her family was a bit over the edge for any normal person to handle, and, although she loved them to pieces, sometimes she wished to be undisturbed.

"Mind a morning walk through the cherry blossoms?" Rio asked as she slipped on her shoes. Technically she could just materialize them, but she figured Arryn was freaked out enough by her outlandish behaviors.

"As long as you promise not to pass out, I think it's a great idea." Arryn smirked as she elicited a brief laugh from Rio. "I wasn't really paying attention to the surroundings my first time here."

"What distracted you?" Rio asked innocently enough.

Arryn looked away as she felt the heat rush to her face. She recalled the very reason she had not been paying attention. She had been so focused on Rio's fine features that her surroundings had been blurred at the back of her memory. Rio kept her gaze on Arryn and arched one eyebrow as the other girl refused to produce an answer.

"Well you were unconscious, so of course my mind was distracted." Arryn finally managed to say in a distant tone. "I was worried that you were severely injured, so I couldn't really take in anything else." At least it was half of the truth thought Arryn.

"That makes sense..." Rio cast off the slight feeling of disappointment that was clutching at her heart; what was she expecting her to say? That she was completely enchanted by her... Rio smacked herself on the forehead for being naive and childish.

Arryn took a quick look at Rio as she picked up on the slight note of dismay in her voice. Did she know she was lying, and if so, why would it make her sad? Unless...

'Stop thinking like that! For heaven's sake, I'm her apprentice... and I'm a girl, and she's a girl...' She let out a small growl out of frustration which caused Rio to snap out of her minor sadness. 'Great...' Arryn tried to produce a cough that sounded close to her growl, in hopes that Rio would be fooled.

"Are you alright?" Rio asked as a new happiness set in.

"Must've caught some...dust, or something, in my throat." Arryn lied through her teeth as she walked on ahead towards the cherry blossoms.

"If you say so." Rio chuckled and strolled beside the girl she found to be more than intriguing. "Have you ever seen a cherry blossom tree in bloom?" She took Arryn's hand before she could answer and phased them to a top branch.

Arryn's eyes widened in surprise as she peered down at the ground, but surprisingly she never yelped as Rio had thought she would. Arryn slightly gulped as she realized she may never get used to this teleportation thing, but a tingly feeling in her hand caused her mind to venture elsewhere. She looked down and found her hand still firmly held with Rio's.

"I've never had the chance to see cherry blossoms bloom." Arryn smiled as she looked into Rio's molten gold eyes. "Where I grew up there was hardly anything of beauty, or at least that's how it felt like."

"My mother mentioned you were brought up in an orphanage." Rio was curious to know about Arryn's past, but didn't know where to start. She knew that her hand was still laced with Arryn's, but neither had made a move to end the contact.

Arryn stayed silent on the topic. There was nothing she had to say about 'that' or at least nothing at the moment. It had never dawned upon her that she might have to revisit the past in order to carry on with her future; no one had ever asked her to recap her youth. She let her hand slip out of Rio's and picked at a petal- it was soft and gentle; nothing like her past.

"I'm sorry," Arryn murmured as she let the petal fall from her hands. "I'm not sure if that's something I want to share." She said so with a stiff tongue, ashamed that she could not give Rio an answer.

"It's fine, really." Rio smiled and took her hand again. "Come on, I'll show you a piece of my past."

Before Arryn knew it, she was once again phased to a different location. She let her surroundings settle in before she felt it was safe enough to take a step forward. It looked like a huge cave lay ahead.

"My mother was kept in here for many centuries." Rio began to tell her story but not before Arryn's head snapped to look straight at her. 'Oh right... I never mentioned our long lifespans.'

"Centuries!" Arryn recalled the woman she had been man-handled by.

"We don't age like normal humans." Rio tried to conjure up an explanation. "Our bodies retain our youthfulness. My grandma, for instance, has the body of a 12 year old even though she's ancient." Rio silently apologized just in case Washu was eavesdropping.

"It must be horrible..." Arryn said.

"What must?"

"Living for so long." Arryn avoided the girl's gaze.

"Sometimes it is, but there's just as much joy as there is pain. I cherish those moments, I guess." Rio smiled. "And when the pain does come, well that's what family's for."

Arryn smiled back but couldn't really grasp the notion of family. Her life had begun in an orphanage and family there was a vague concept. Friends would be adopted while others stayed behind. The overseer would treat them, weary from labor, with detachment and distaste. Family– she had never had one.

"I suppose growing up in an orphanage has given this world a bitter taste." Her smile was platonic as she stared in the dark depths of the cave.

"May I ask you something?"

"Of course, but I may choose not to answer."

Rio nodded in agreement. "What do you fight for?"

Arryn turned to look at her soon-to-be master. "So that no one can hurt me."

"That's not enough." Rio looked at her apprentice with a stern gaze. "Self-preservation won't be enough to make you into a great swordswoman. You have to find something or someone to protect, to keep safe and to love. Whatever it is, it will push you beyond the limits of self-preservation." Rio lightened up her expression. "Of course you'll find that along the way, I promise."

Arryn simply nodded and remained a bit taken aback by the serious side of Rio. She seemed much older when she looked at Arryn with that piercing gaze of experience. How could this girl know so much more than her?


	9. Chapter 7A: Irrational Connection

SPTII: 7A

Irrational Connection

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo! in any form or manner.

Author's Note: I'm hoping to get out more chapters quicker than usual and I appreciate all the reviews, favorites and follows ^_^. Enjoy!

The darkness whirled with strands of white, and the silence slowly ebbed away. A shuffle of sounds surrounded him and he finally came to. Erryn groaned and raised a hand to his forehead. His eyes blinked as they adjusted to the faintly lit room. Where was he? He looked to the left and saw strange machines and lights; he turned to the right and saw only stranger things.

'Damn' he rubbed his temples to try and ease his aching head. 'What happened?'

"Looks like he's waking." He heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Thank goodness, I thought Rio had killed him." Now that voice was familiar; it was Ryoko.

"I did _not_ kill him." Rio muttered. "I just stopped him."

'Stopped me?' Erryn felt his chest tighten as the memory came rushing back to him. 'I lost control...'

"Erryn can you hear me?" The unfamiliar voice spoke up again.

He struggled to open his eyes, but when he did a flurry of pink hair greeted his view. The face was young and the eyes a brilliant green. It was the girl who had plucked his hair on his first day at the Masaki shrine. And now he was in some kind of... lab?

"Yes." He said with a haggard voice.

"Erryn..." Rio hovered above him, her eyes filled with worry. "I'm so sorry." He felt the knot in his chest tighten further.

"No, don't apologize." His eyes hardened as he looked away from her worried gaze. "If anyone should apologize, it's me." He tried to sit up, but with a defeated groan he lay back down slowly.

"What happened out there?" Ryoko crossed her arms and inspected the boy's movements closely. "Rio brought you in unconscious, and she didn't quite explain how you came to be that way?"

Rio stood still but Erryn could see she was trying to hide what he had done. He knew somewhere beneath her clothes was a massive bruise that he had given her. The force he had put into the blow on her back was immense and should have broken some bones; he was thankful that Rio seemed to be in good condition. What had happened? He saw her in her fighting stance, her arms brought up to provide cover for her face, her muscles flexed and readied to spring, and then she charged him. Anger rushed through out his system, banged on the inside of his body, raged to be set loose and he snapped.

"Sparring took more out of me than I thought." His gaze cast down and he focused on the white sheets covering him. "I guess... I lost control." He muttered under his breath.

"It was too much too soon." Rio interjected quickly before any more questions could be thrown his way. "We only exchanged a few jabs before he feinted." She patted his back gently and looked at her mother; she could feel a force trying to enter her thoughts. "There's nothing more to it, really." She spoke with determination.

"I'll have to examine his DNA a bit longer to see if anything abnormal is there." Washu shared a glance with Ryoko; they both knew Rio was hiding something.

"Well, I'm sure Erryn needs his rest after tonight's events." Tenchi massaged Ryoko's shoulders, knowing his wife wasn't about to let this rest without encouragement. "Washu I think it's best he stays in another room."

Washu stuck her tongue out at Tenchi– she couldn't experiment if her subject was in another room. Well she could experiment, but not as thoroughly as she would have preferred. She could do so much with him strapped to her lab bed: semen samples, reaction tests, psychoanalysis, the fun could go on and on.

"I'll let him sleep in my room." Rio offered casually.

"What?" Erryn looked her way with confusion in his features. He had raged on her, and she wanted him sleeping in her room?

"It's not like I'm going to take advantage of him." Rio sighed. "That's your," she pointed at Ryoko, "and your" and then to Washu, "role." Tenchi chuckled while dodging Ryoko's slap.

"She makes a good point." Tenchi grinned as he eyed Ryoko with adoration. "She's not quite the same as you or Washu when it comes to having men all to yourselves. I trust her to treat our guest honorably, as long as he does the same."

Erryn nodded his head fervently in agreement with Tenchi's expectations. He wouldn't dare touch her... not after what he had done. He was monstrous and she was in every sense angelic. Was it worth it? He came here to write a story, to uncover a secret that every one else shied from, but what of his secret? It was catching up to him, the same demon he had fought with ages ago, and there was no escaping it. The next morning he would leave; the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

"Here I'll take us there." Rio broke his contemplation and offered him her arm. "Just hold on." She smiled warmly and placed one arm around his torso. "Goodnight everyone."

Everyone replied with their goodnights and Rio phased to her room. Erryn let his jaw drop slightly as he tried to register what had happened. They had just been in a strange lab, and now they were in a perfectly normal, if rather large, room. Perhaps he had dozed off as they were walking, and it was just his mind playing tricks on him. Rio chuckled as she set him on her bed.

"It's something my mother passed on to me." Rio explained while carefully laying him down. "There's a lot that's different about us, if you haven't already noticed."

"I thought so." He smiled back up at her.

"We... we're not exactly human." She watched to see if he'd stare at her like she was crazy or demented. "My mother is an ex-space pirate, my grandmother claims to be the greatest genius in the galaxy, and my father is technically a prince of another planet." Rio stopped and couldn't help but chuckle at Erryn's facial expression. It was a cross between laughing out loud and doubting someone's sanity. "Hearing it out loud, it does sound like a big joke, but I assure you it's the truth.

"Space pirate?" Erryn finally was able to speak.

"Is that all you got from what I just said? It's not a profession most look highly upon, but my mother was one of the best... or worst depending on how you look at it."

"And that thing you do... teleport, or whatever, is that normal?"

"For my mother, grandmother and me it is. Most likely my baby brother and sister will also be able to do it, eventually."

"Anything else?"

"We can fly." Rio levitated above Erryn. "Create energy and manipulate it." She summoned an energy ball and converted it into a sword. "And teleport."She phased and went from floating above him to standing beside the bed.

Erryn remained silent and made a guess that she was also capable of super strength. There was no way she could have survived his blow unscathed as she was, unless she had some kind of inhuman strength.

"Are you afraid?"

"No..." Erryn grinned to ease her doubt. "No, as a matter of fact, I'm relieved. You shouldn't have lied earlier... about what happened."

"I figured you'd talk to me first about it." Rio shrugged and sat beside the resting boy. "It wasn't that bad."

"May I?" He slowly propped himself up and lifted his hand; he wanted to check her back.

"If you want, I mean, it should be fine." Rio blushed as she felt his fingers lift the edges of her blouse.

There it was: a massive bruise of purple and blue. He lightly traced his fingers over it and she flinched. If it weren't for her alien genes, he would have broken her spine or worse. He could have killed her. A chill shot through him: one of fear and delight. He apologized and put her shirt back down. He would leave by tomorrow, and never come back.

"It will heal with time." Rio assured him as she turned to face him. "I've had worse."

He smiled at her with gratitude; surely she was just trying to make him feel better. "I have to leave. I can't stay..." He felt her hand hold his.

"Because you lost control?" She was afraid to let go of his hand; afraid he would disappear and leave behind nothing but empty bed sheets.

"That seems like a very good reason to me; I almost killed you." He looked into her golden eyes and only found sadness. Fear was absent where it should have been present.

"Believe me you were nowhere close to killing me." Rio wore a smug grin.

Erryn reacted with a clenched fist, and Rio felt it but let her hand remain in his anyways. He quickly unclenched it and withdrew his hand. He no longer was able to control even the tiniest flares of anger.

"I'm not safe to be around."

"Most of the people here aren't really what you would consider 'safe to be around,' so you fit right in." Rio grinned at him with pleading eyes; she wanted him to stay.

"Why do you want me to stay?" He cocked an eyebrow up.

"You... remind me of someone." Rio blushed as she spoke. "I feel like you belong here."

Erryn sat there dumbfounded, unsure what to make of her words. Belonged here? Erryn had never belonged anywhere; his flares of temper had made sure of that. That's why this assignment had been so perfect. Away from the masses of people in a place that few ventured to; it had seemed like the perfect escape. He had found a beautiful girl in the woods, more beautiful women at the house, delicious food, and alien residents– he couldn't have asked for stranger circumstances. He looked at Rio and for the second time he felt entranced. The rays of the moon trickled on her skin and allowed for her golden eyes to shine. He found himself being drawn closer to her. Rio kept still as she ventured to close the small gap between them. His lips were no more than a couple of inches from hers. He leaned in and her lips touched his for a second. Before they could really kiss, her door had flung open and her mother came marching in. Ryoko grinned as she noticed how they both looked in opposite directions with tinted cheeks.

"So I thought you might need this." She lay the sleeping mat on the floor. "Unless of course–" She dodged a deathly fast pillow that Rio threw. "I thought so."

Rio growled slightly knowing her mother could have phased or even warned her before she was coming. Although she had learned to keep her mother and grandmother out of her head, she couldn't dodge Ryoko's motherly intuition. Ryoko laughed on her way out and left the awkward pair to themselves.

"You should be the one sleeping on the bed." Erryn spoke up.

"I don't mind, I sleep on my stomach anyways." She helped Erryn lay back down.

"Thanks." He winced as his body throbbed with soreness.

She nodded. "Goodnight Erryn." She kissed his forehead lightly and went to her mat. Her lips tingled and she couldn't help but feel a light spark inside of her. She wouldn't let him go, not now. She had been waiting for him.

Erryn let out a sigh of content. He felt attracted to her in a multitude of ways and not all of them good. He wanted to know her, hold her and love her. He was disgusted to admit that he also wanted to hurt her. He wanted to leave; he wanted to stay by her side. That night he slept and wondered what was the price he would pay for choosing either side.

Author's endnote: So this is a bit longer than the last chapter. Erryn's development will continue to expand as the chapters go on, as will Ryoko's involvement. Anyways please read and review, I appreciate the input or encouragement.


	10. Chapter 7B: Alone

Author's Note: I wrote this extremely quick and I'm sure it has some mistakes which I will get around to fixing. Please review as it helps with the writing process! Thank you for all your patience and dedication to reading my stories. It's always nice to know that others appreciate your writing. Special thanks to DarkPatu for the constant encouragement.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo! in any manner or form.

SPT II 7B: Alone

Ryoko rose early in the morning to the sound of a wailing infant. As much as she would have liked to whack Tenchi with a pillow and tell him to go comfort Ryuuken, she couldn't. She had done that about two hours ago, and promised that the next bawl would be hers to deal with. She groaned and wondered if she could send Ryukken back in the past so that a younger Ryoko could take care of her, after all that's what her mother had done. Of course, she didn't have a good reason for sending her back in the past, if only just to rest.

"Why can't you be like your brother?" She picked up Ryuuken and gave a passing glance at Tenchu who was sound asleep. "He sure sleeps like a log even with you." Her weary gaze returned to Ryuuken. "I wonder if I was this loud."

'You still are that loud' Washu's voice echoed in her head. 'And believe me you were just as bad as a baby.'

'You just have to invade my thoughts when you have something nice to say, don't you?' Ryoko replied.

'Hey you were the one asking questions, I just answered.'

'I should really ask Rio how she blocks you out completely.' Ryoko threatened in a playful manner.

'She really has been on guard hasn't she? Have you talked to her?'

'No, I haven't. She seems busy with our new company.' Ryoko cradled Ryuuken and settled her wails to mere murmurs. 'Not to mention the twins take up most of my time.'

'Our visitor is quite a mystery. I ran her DNA and got some very interesting results. I can't really say she's human for sure. Would you know anything about this?'

'Her last name– Salvatus, Rio murmured it after her battle with Kronos. If I'm not mistaken she said it with affection. Perhaps this girl is a remnant.' Ryoko spoke warily unsure if that meant she was a danger to her family or not.

'It's very possible. I guess we'll have to keep an eye on the two of them.' Washu's voice faded and Ryoko knew her thoughts were now her own.

She looked at the babe in her arms. Her midnight black hair was growing rapidly and showed signs of following her mother's wild mane. Ryoko smiled as she kissed Ryuuken on the forehead and set the slumbering girl back in her crib. Tenchu lay in his own crib right next to his sister's. She thanked the heavens that she was granted at least one quiet, well-mannered baby. Rio had never been a problem since she had come as a toddler and she never stayed for long. It still hurt knowing that Rio had spent the majority of her childhood in the dark depths of space without a full family. Ryoko moved a strand of Tenchu's baby blue hair and knew his hair wouldn't be as wild as the females in the family.

She turned from the cribs and walked towards her bed where her slumbering husband slept. He was also very much like a log when he slept. She slipped under the covers and resumed her place in his arms. He murmured something and pulled her closer to him. She felt his warmth consume her and fell asleep within moments.

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Rio trained daily with Arryn and daily she felt herself drawn to her apprentice. They spent almost every waking hour together. Meals were always shared, sparring put them in close contact and even bathes were taken together. The only time they were not together was at night when they separated to sleep in their own chambers. Washu had completed the room the day after their first night together, so it made no sense to continue sleeping in the same bed. Plus Rio did not want to repeat her embarrassing actions. It was on such a night, that Rio reminisced on certain memories of the month past.

_She hadn't really given it a second thought; bathing together had seemed a natural suggestion. There was one bath after all and it was the best bath in the universe, or so Rio thought. Arryn went rigid as they approached the bath house which was seemingly a floating island spa. The fact that Rio and her family were more than human still eluded her. _

_ "Alright let's head on up, we can change there." Rio smiled wide with excitement and transported them both to the spa in the sky. _

_ 'God this isn't going to end well.' Arryn thought as they appeared at the enormous bath. 'Please let her keep her towel on, please let her keep it on.' Arryn bit her lip as she feared the outcome would be quite the opposite._

_ 'I wonder if she would be ok with me being naked. I mean, we're both girls right?' Rio thought as she pondered whether to let her towel fall or not. 'It's not a big deal, she'll probably think I'm hiding something if I do keep it on.' She let the towel fall. _

_ Arryn inhaled sharply as Rio, who had her back towards her, let her towel hit the floor. She looked down at her own towel, partly to keep her eyes away from Rio and partly to decide on whether or not that meant she had to take her towel off as well. Rio turned to look at Arryn and chuckled at the stoic gaze she received. _

_ "The water's nice, come on." _

_ "Alright..." Arryn let her towel fall and prayed that Rio would not turn her way. _

_ It was too much to hope for; Rio was nothing short of ogling her apprentice. Rio blushed as she caught sight of Arryn's perfectly carved body. _

_ "What?" Arryn snapped at her master._

_ "Nothing, it's just..." Rio kept her gaze on Arryn as she walked in the bath. "You have a great body." She let the words out with honesty. _

_ Arryn crossed her arms across her chest and blushed heavily as she felt her heart hammer on; she couldn't let Rio's compliments go to her head. She was probably used to bathing with girls and complimenting was, no doubt, common practice. _

_ "Th,thank you." Arryn stammered and peered sideways to find Rio standing right beside her. "Ah!" Arryn jumped a bit to the right. _

_ "Sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you." Rio chuckled but found herself blushing as well; she hadn't been quite in control as she drew nearer to the light-haired beauty. "Anyways, we can use the soaps and bucket over there." She pointed to a spacious area with wooden floors. _

_ Arryn followed Rio as she waded towards the area. Rio wasn't without her own perfect body and Arryn had taken notice. Her skin looked smooth, flawless and soft, and her curves went well with her toned muscles. Heat rushed through her and she cursed its presence. _

_ 'I'm a girl, she's a girl, and... I still feel this way.' Arryn sighed as she partially admitted the truth to herself. _

_ "Come on, I'll rub your back for you." Rio took her by the hand and sat her on the stool before she could protest. "It's easier this way." She spoke near Arryn's ear, and Arryn wondered if she knew what she was doing to her. _

_ Rio knew she was taking a chance, and knew that she didn't understand fully what she was taking a chance on. All that was certain was that she was drawn to Arryn in a way that she had never been with anyone else: male or female. She wanted to be closer to her, to know her fears and dreams, to hold her and caress her skin. She shook her head as more thoughts poured into her head. _

_ Arryn sat still, afraid to make a move. She had never been one to give into urges, but at the moment she was unsure whether she had the proper restraint to keep her from doing anything regrettable. Rio's fingers brushed her neck as she moved strands of wet hair to the side. Arryn quivered and made to stand up before Rio could continue. _

_ "Whoa be careful, you could–" Rio warned Arryn too late as she slipped and came crashing down on her bathing partner. "slip." _

_ Arryn groaned as she regained her bearings and put a hand to her head while the other propped her up. She cursed slightly as she opened her eyes but still wasn't aware of where she had fallen. As soon as she realized what she had done, her mouth dried up– she had fallen right on top of Rio. She should have moved, gotten up or rolled over, but her eyes were linked to Rio's. Rio lay perfectly still as Arryn's body hovered above hers. They weren't touching but the warmth that was between them was immense and undeniable to either. _

_ "I'm sorry." Arryn quickly spoke, afraid that her lips would do something other than speak._

_ "I'm not." Rio lifted herself slightly on her elbows and caught Arryn's lips with her own._

_ Arryn's eyes widened as the girl beneath her kept her lips locked with her own. It sent a shock through her and tingled its way through her every limb. She wanted to pull her closer to hold her tighter, but she couldn't accept what was happening. She broke the kiss and rolled off of Rio. _

_ "I can't do this." Arryn sent her an apologetic gaze. "I'm sorry." She stood and walked away. _

Ever since then, bathing had been awkward and usually silent. Rio sighed and burrowed her face into a nearby pillow; at least it wouldn't push her way like Arryn had. She didn't blame Arryn for pushing her away, after all the kiss was uncalled for, but it hurt nonetheless. The courage she felt while pinned underneath Arryn had scared them both.

'And now she's distant.' She squeezed the pillow against her face and cursed her stupidity. 'What got into me? I just... kissed her.'

Rio growled and threw the pillow across the room. Arryn Salvatus... she even had his name and she had his eyes. Why? Why was she a girl? Would Arryn have pushed her away even if she weren't? Her star-eyed lover... he had said to not let his image influence her, but what did that mean?

'Stop.' She told her herself. 'Stop trying to make Arryn into him.' a lone tear slid off the side of her cheek.

Meanwhile in the room across from hers, Arryn was staring at the bare ceiling, brows furrowed and quite the scowl on her face. She sat up and looked at the door– Rio was just across the hallway. With a groan she came crashing back down on the bed. It was no use; she didn't know what to say to Rio after that incident. Arryn had chosen to pretend that the bath incident never happened, and if Rio tried to bring it up, she would refuse to speak.

'How can I explain to her what I feel, when I don't even know that much...' Arryn sighed and looked out her window– there was a full moon tonight. 'She kissed me...' she blushed, 'but I was too afraid to kiss back. I didn't even know she liked girls.' With a slight groan of frustration and confusion, Arryn sat up again. 'I need some fresh air.'

She opened the window and sat on the roof. It was a beautiful night: the moon was glorious and full, a slight breeze stirred the cool airs and the sounds of nature produced a delightful symphony. She raised her hand to look at it. It was calloused, yet had a feminine outline; her fingers were slender and elegant.

"Who am I?" She asked as she clenched her fist. "I have never thought myself to be in love, yet she takes up my every thought; I never wished for a family, but now I find myself wanting to be part of hers... as crazy as they are; I am lost." She looked up to the moon and something new and foreign to Arryn occurred: she began to cry.

"It's not easy is it?"

Arryn felt a chill shoot through her body convulsed forward and she began to tumble down the roof. Her body rolled and rolled with an occasional grunt here and there, until it seemed she had fallen off. Washu let a sweat drop appear as her mouth dropped in surprise– she wasn't that scary. The child-like scientist approached the ledge and to her relief saw a pair of hands clutching it.

"I thought for sure you had fallen off." Washu chuckled and offered Arryn a hand.

Arryn accepted the help and caught her breath as she lay on the roof. There really was no being alone in this household. Arryn eyed the pink-haired girl warily; she hadn't seen her out of her room much, but Rio had informed her of Washu's habits. There was no way that Arryn would voluntarily become a guinea pig of any sort.

"What...do you want?" Arryn asked between deep breaths.

"What I want really doesn't matter. However I'm curious to know what you want Salvatus?" Washu kept her gaze steady as she peered into Arryn's. She expected them to betray a hint of understanding, but only confusion lurked in the depths of her star-filled irises.

"What I want?" Arryn looked away and thoughts of Rio filled her head. "I don't know what I want." She concluded but a trace of denial was laced in the tone of her voice.

"You and me both know that's not the truth. I've watched the both of you for some time now." Washu watched as Arryn blushed at this. "Why did you come here?"

"To train, that much is clear." Arryn wasn't sure what this crazy, awfully-young- looking grandma was getting at.

"Is that all? Is that why you're still here?" Washu kept digging.

Arryn stopped breathing for a moment: why was she still here? If she had found an alien family living in a shrine elsewhere, she would have left immediately. If anyone else had tried to kiss her, she would have left a long time ago. If anyone else had confused her as much as Rio did, she would have left and never thought of her again. But she hadn't left and she was _still_ here.

"I don't know." She muttered out, but this time she wasn't even convinced herself.

"Just say it– you're attracted to her; drawn to her." Washu laid it out. "You feel connected to my granddaughter."

Arryn bit her lip, clenched her fists and looked away, but it was a truth she could not deny any longer. She sighed, let her fists unclench and lay flat on the roof. It was true, she longed to be with Rio in every manner possible. What kept her away was doubt. There was no doubt that Rio would return her affection, but there was doubt of whether it was the _right_ thing to do. She had never considered herself a lesbian, but then again she had never considered herself drawn to any male. She turned to Washu and found hardened eyes staring back at her– she didn't trust her.

"What do you think I'm here for?" Arryn asked with a straight forwardness Washu wasn't expecting.

"Well, you're not normal that's for sure, and I can't say I trust you. You're either here to, as you claim, train, or you were sent here to destroy a piece of our happiness."

"I have done nothing to deserve that judgement." Arryn muttered but felt guilty all the same. "I would never hurt her, if that's what you mean."

"Haven't you already?" Washu spoke curtly as she crossed her arms and watched Arryn tense up. "I know everything that's happened between you two."

"I... I didn't know what to do."

"You could leave. You may not want to believe it, but you are a danger to her. I may not be able to break the code on your DNA just yet, but my theories aren't usually too far off the mark. Do you understand? You are _not_ human, and if you didn't know that, then you can't possibly know what you're really doing here."

Not human? Arryn let the words rest in her head; they didn't surprise her. She had taken everything, from alien women to strange powers, in so easily. She looked at her hand again, she sure looked human, but why did she feel so different when she was outside in the world, and so at home at the Masaki shrine. Her head pounded as she tried to recall her past, and only basic images of the orphanage rose up but nothing more. She slammed her fists down on the roof and begged for her memories to coem to her: none did. She closed her eyes and searched again for faces of children that were once her friends: nothing was there. Her eyes opened suddenly and she was crying again; everything about her was a lie.

Arryn thought of leaving and what it would mean. She would never see Rio again, never hear her laugh or catch her from tripping over nothing while walking even though she was perfectly capable of flying. She would never eat anymore of Sasami's cooking, or play with the twins, or get harassed by Ryoko's inhuman strength. She would be alone again; she shuddered at the thought. Alone. She had been alone since she could remember, and the thought of returning to it scared her. Whatever she had been before, she wasn't sure of, but the feeling of alone was something she knew of well. She wanted to stay...

"I can't go." Arryn decided and made to stand. "I don't know who I am or what I am, but I can't leave."

"If I must, I will destroy you."

"If it comes to that, please do." Arryn smirked and left a baffled Washu on the roof.

'Well that didn't go as expected.' Washu sighed and sprawled out on the roof. 'With all the powers of a goddess and I still can't keep everything under control. Am I doing the right thing?' She chuckled sadly. "Who answers those questions for me, who do I pray to or lean on for strength when I am weak and uncertain?" She spoke aloud as she watched the moon above.


	11. Chapter 8B: With You

SPTII: 8B

With You

Author's Note: It's so wonderful when writer's block (or in my case it might just be laziness) lifts away! Thanks to my readers for continuing to look at my works and especially to my reviewers who offer me valuable insight and encouragement.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo! in any manner or form.

A blanket of clouds rolled out from the east and settled in the morning sky. Thunder rumbled and a steady shower of rain drops followed. Rio watched as the drops rolled down her immense window. Her fingers traced the path of a rushing drop but stopped as it converged with another. The drop had merged and slid faster down the window pane. Had she rushed ahead just like that? She placed her palm against the window pane and felt the coolness of it spread through her fingers. Her eyelids drooped halfway out of fatigue and sadness– usually rainy days were her favorite. Her stare remained void of happiness until she caught sight of a figure in the distance. She moved her hand and squinted her eyes, unsure of what was out there. A lone figure, clad in a bright red shirt and dark black pants wavered in the watery pane– It was Arryn.

Rio felt butterflies flutter mercilessly in her stomach but a wrenching pain in her heart followed directly after. She grunted and held her chest; the device was still there. She opened up her shirt slightly and peeked at it. It was still dormant. For the longest time it had glowed white, but as each day passed it grew dimmer and dimmer until it seemed devoid of any such glow. Her grandmother had examined it, but decided it was better to leave it as it was than tamper with it. Rio sighed, knowing full well that Washu was afraid to mess with her future invention; it still bothered her grandmother, to some degree, to see it. She looked back out the window– Arryn was still there.

With a sad smile she stood up and retrieved a rain blanket from her closet. It wouldn't do well if her apprentice suddenly caught a cold. She phased and arrived by Arryn in a matter of seconds.

"You'll catch a cold." Rio smiled warmly at her while throwing the blanket over them both. "You're already pretty soaked..." she looked her up and down.

"Thanks..." Arryn cast her gaze down towards the floor.

Rio watched Arryn and was dismayed that she would not meet her gaze. Only the pitter patter of rain remained and Rio's mind raced for the right thing to say. Arryn rubbed the sides of her arms as a slight breeze blew across the lake.

"Rio–"

"Arryn–"

They spoke at the same time and looked away from each other.

"Go ahead." Again they mimicked each other perfectly.

Arryn coughed and kicked at the mud. "I'm sorry." She muttered and kept her gaze on the multitude of ripples in the lake. "I've been acting like a child. It's about time we talk about what happened at the bath house."

"I shouldn't have done what I did." Rio replied quickly and held her breath afterwards.

Arryn kept her gaze still, but a flash of pain passed through her features. Had Rio regretted the kiss after all?

"I don't know what came over me." Rio chuckled nervously. "Maybe the steam was making me too hot and I just, I don't know, but I promise I won't–"

"Don't–" Arryn shouted but quickly blushed and hushed afterwards.

Rio kept her tongue still and watched as Arryn wore a flustered expression.

"Don't lie to me." Arryn whispered; half afraid she would be heard and half afraid she wouldn't.

Rio's smile faded and her eyes watered– she had hurt Arryn. Arryn shook as she choked back tears. She _never _cried, and since she had gotten here she had already done so twice. Rio felt grief wash over her and reached out towards Arryn but quickly retracted her hand. She had acted on her instincts before and it had ended with Arryn pushing her away. She was shaking either from her tears kept at bay, her soaked clothes, or both. It didn't matter anymore; Rio was willing to risk rejection. She laced her arms around Arryn and pulled her back towards her body. She held her from the back and rested her face on Arryn's shoulder blade.

"I'm sorry... the truth is I don't know what's going on inside of me." Rio spoke lowly in Arryn's ear.

Arryn grew stiff at Rio's sudden contact but relaxed as her warmth pulled her in. She was freezing underneath her wet clothes, and Rio's body heat was welcoming.

"I didn't want to push you away..." Arryn turned to look at Rio. "But I was scared." She blushed and looked away. It was nice being in an embrace.

"So was I." Rio smiled affectionately as Arryn's questioning eyes met hers. "I may not know exactly what's going on in here." She pointed towards her heart. "But I'm willing to figure it out." She grabbed Arryn's hands and held them tightly. "With you."

Rio noticed that Arryn's smile was slightly crooked and found her heart skipping at the sight. It felt like a fresh beginning; a way to start again in a more honest manner.

"Thank y– achooo!" Arryn turned to the side and sneezed.

Rio laughed and pulled the now sniffling girl into an embrace. Arryn joined in her laughter and held onto her with a feeling of satisfaction. Unbeknownst to them several pair of eyes were watching them from afar.

Ryoko sighed with relief as she looked out the window and saw the foolery that her daughter and Arryn were up to. She had never seen Rio as depressed as she had been these past few days, but neither had she seen her as happy as she was now. It had hurt her to watch her go through her depression, but there was nothing Ryoko could do. It was in Rio's power and Arryn's to fix things. Ryoko looked down at the slumbering twins in her arms; one day they would also grow and experience the trials and joys of life.

'Not for a while." Ryoko smiled gently and kissed her babies before passing them on to their father.

"Looks like they made up." Tenchi looked out the window at the girls returning.

"So you know about them?" Ryoko smirked and wondered how Tenchi would react.

"Of course I did; it's kind of hard to miss."

Ryoko nodded in agreement and phased away but not before leaving a kiss on his lips. She could feel discontent coming from her mother, and thought it best to seek her out.

"What's with all the negative vibes." Ryoko asked with genuine worry. "You don't seem too happy with what you see." Ryoko looked outside once more to see Arryn and Rio wrapped in the rain blanket.

"I don't trust her." Washu bit down on her thumb in frustration. "If she is a remnant of Kronos, then she could reawaken his original essence."

Ryoko's eyes widened with horror, but when she turned back to see the girls playing in the rain her expression softened. That girl was nothing like Kronos. She once knew what it was like to have a monster within her; a remnant from the past. She had believed that she was forever tainted with the darkness that had been instilled by a crueler being. There was a time when she believed she was truly a monster, but others had showed her otherwise.

"She's a lot like me." Ryoko gave voice to her thoughts. "I was fine-tuned to destroy; I was the end for a lot of beautiful things." Washu slightly cringed at the hurt in her daughter's voice. "If Tenchi hadn't given me a chance, if you hadn't stopped believing in me, and if Rio hadn't showed me the meaning of innocent love, I would have continued to believe that the overwhelming darkness within me was the only part of me."

"You were nothing like Kronos." Washu was adamant and stood her ground.

"You weren't on the other end of that darkness, mother... if anything Kagato was merciful in that aspect. He put you to sleep." Ryoko kept a small smile on. "I was as much a harbinger of doom as he was... red eyes and everything." Ryoko chuckled. "That past is not what makes me who I am today. It only says what I am no longer."

Washu grinned unwillingly. "Since when did you get your brains back?" Ryoko quickly landed a fist on her mother's head. Washu winced and rubbed her head but laughed all the while. "Your her mother, but I can't change the way I feel. This feeling inside is constant, and as long as her DNA remains a mystery, I can't rest."

"Let's watch then. I believe she'll prove you wrong." Ryoko stuck out her hand and made to shake her mother's. "Loser does the others chores for a full year."

"Deal!" Washu chimed and hurried to shake her hand.

"No robots either!" Ryoko added in as they shook.

"Wha?" Washu whined. "That's not fair!"

"Too bad, you already shook my hand." Ryoko chuckled and phased away before Washu could react.

Hearts sought for answers, and others for acceptance. Trust and wariness planted their seeds. The days to come were promising and foreboding; it is the unknown that produces this pair, and there was plenty unknown within the entity of Arryn Salvatus.

Author's End Note: Yes another chapter out! It's getting easier to write. I have to admit, Arryn's character comes more naturally than her male counterpart when I'm writing their story lines. It's been interesting developing them at the same time. Next chapter I'll be dealing more with Arryn's origins as well as her inner psyche ^_^! Please review and let me know how the story is going thus far. Also I'm sorry I haven't posted 8A yet... I was just so excited to get this out that I decided it wouldn't be so bad if I put them out at different times.


	12. Chapter 8A: Name the Forbidden

Author's Note: Hello fellow readers! I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. I haven't heard from most of you in awhile, but I would love to. Please read and review. Let me know how the story is coming along, or just offer some encouragement. Dissatisfaction? Let me know about that too. Alright, on with the story!

SPTII: 8A: Name the Forbidden

In the dark crevices of his mind a buzzing began to whir. Erryn felt pressure beginning to build until he thought, for sure, it would burst any moment. He opened his eyes and found himself to be standing in a world covered with shadows.

"Look what we have here." A whisper inched its way through his head.

Erryn's eyes scanned the shadows for a face, but every inch of view looked the same: fog and shadows.

"Can't you see me?" The voice came again but louder.

Erryn shuddered; he sounded familiar.

"Surely you know who I am." A figure appeared in the distance.

Erryn blinked and felt his knees grow weak.

"Don't you?" Erryn stood face to face with a shadow form of himself.

The shadow laughed heartily, glad to see the fear and panic in Erryn's eyes.

"Oh, don't be afraid of me. What kind of man is afraid of himself?" The shadow draped his arm over Erryn's shoulder. "It's been some time since we've been able to talk like this."

"I don't know you!" Erryn threw his arm aside and backed away.

The shadow chuckled and disappeared. Erryn felt a cold sweat rush over him, but what came next was far worse. Hands rested on his shoulders and the fingers pressed down hard on his flesh.

"You do know me." The shadow whispered in his ear. "When you bruised her flesh, each time you felt the urge to hurt her, to kill her, you have known _me_."

Erryn's eyes opened wide as his mouth opened to offer a retort; to say anything that would prove this accusation wrong, but nothing came to him. His voice had failed him.

"What do you want?" Erryn stammered out his question.

"You mean what do _we_ want." The shadow grinned. "Only one thing will bring us peace. Destruction. Destroy what we were meant to end so long ago. Bring about the ruin of her..." his face twisted with disgust, "salvation." He spat out.

"No... I will not." Erryn swung his arm back but met with nothing. "I am not you."

"You _are_ me!" His voice boomed. "Together we are what we were meant to be– Chaos." He let out a thunderous roar and appeared before Erryn again. "You will kill them all. Mother, father, child... anyone with connections to the Hakubi women will fall. It is our destiny." He raised up his arms and looked upward for a moment.

Erryn grudgingly followed his actions. In the fog above images reeled past him like a film in fast forward. Rio's mangled body as her face adorned a smile; the screams of Ryoko and the flash of anger and betrayal in everyone's eyes. Was this the future that awaited him? No, a faint voice in his mind rejected the idea.

"No!" Erryn lunged forward from his sleeping position, throwing the covers off as he did so.

"Erryn?"

Erryn's eyes dilated at the figure beside him– it was her! He had to get away; he had to leave before he hurt her. He scrambled to get on his two feet but failed as his wounds reminded him of his bodies incapability to move smoothly.

"Hold still." Rio commanded and held on to his shoulders.

He looked frightened like a child left in the dark. She felt a throbbing in her chest as she witnessed his face full of distraught, and she pulled him into an embrace so that his head rested just below her chin.

"I can help you if you let me." Rio whispered in his ear as tremors ran through his body.

Erryn let his breathing slow down before he spoke. "There's something inside of me that wants to hurt you... to hurt everyone. I can't stay here." He muttered but held on to her with affection.

"Fight him. I will teach you how." Rio smiled down at him.

"Aren't you afraid?" He asked.

Rio put a finger to her lips as she contemplated the answer she should give. True, the memory of Kronos still haunted her from time to time, but the presence of her family had given her strength. She could take on a remnant form of him anytime.

"I'm more afraid of losing you, than losing to your darker half."

Erryn sighed knowing that there was no way he could convince her of the danger he embodied. Inside he knew that shadow was probably enjoying a fit of laughter and grinning all the while.

"Will you promise to act as insurance?" Erryn asked as he pulled back from the embrace and looked into her golden eyes.

"Insurance?" Rio wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.

He nodded, "if I lose control, to the point where I'm no longer me, will you dispose of that monster."

"If it worries you so much then yes, I promise to be your insurance." She wore a sad smile and pressed her lips against his.

Erryn sat still as the girl that sat beside him pressed her soft lips against his. He felt a warm feeling cascade over him. He had never kissed a girl before, but he was sure that this was as good as it could get. Her lips had a sweet taste; a taste that made him crave more and more. Soon the initial warmth he felt turned into an inferno, but before he could lose himself to the flames, Rio pulled away.

"There now it's an official deal." She chuckled at his dumbfound expression.

"Is that how you alien women seal the deal?" He grinned and disregarded the flames that recoiled within.

"Most of us." She winked and couldn't help the faint blush that tinted her cheeks.

"Thank you." Erryn's voice was deep and sincere.

Rio nodded and returned to her mat. There was no doubt in her mind that Erryn was the man she had met after her battle with Kronos. He was Salvatus and there was nothing that could take him away from her. If there was a remnant of Kronos still haunting him, then she would destroy it. It was that simple.

Author's Note: This is really just a snippet of writing, but it's all I could squeeze in between my work :(. Thanks for reading ^_^.


	13. Chapter 9B: Double Trouble

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! in no way belongs to me!

Author's Note: Once again I've only finished the B part of the story, and still need to work on A ;p. I'm having fun with this endeavor, even if it's not as popular as the original SPT was. I'm trying to incorporate the original characters from the series a bit more heavily than in previous chapters. Let me know how this chapter goes ^_^.

SPTII

Chapter 9B: Double Trouble

Ryoko yawned while stretching her arms in the air; though mornings weren't her time of day, it didn't seem like her Tenchi would be able to manage both the fieldwork as well as the twins.

'I wonder what kind of cruel god decided to give me two babies at once.' her inner voice muttered as she dragged her feet towards their cribs. 'Well...' she smiled and brushed aside Ryuken's jet-black locks, 'perhaps whoever's in charge was not so cruel after all.'

Ryuken squirmed in her sleep and furrowed her tiny brows with concentration.

'I wonder what she's dreaming of. Do babies dream?' Ryoko watched the baby girl a second more before deciding to pick her up. "Shhhh..." she held her close until she stopped squirming.

"Mamamama," Ryuken sputtered out the syllables she had picked up on as she rubbed off her sleepy eyes.. Ryoko smiled satisfactorily– she would definitely win the bet that she had made with both Ayeka and Tenchi!

"What a good girl you are!" Ryoko smirked mischievously. "You're going to free me up of all my boring chores." She spoke to the baby with affection as she smothered her in her arms.

Ryuken, knowing full well that her mother was pleased, smiled her toothless smile and patted her mother's cheeks. Ryoko's eyes lit with yet more mischief– her daughter would be just as reckless, hard-headed and beautiful as she was. Catching on to her mother's thoughts, the baby began to laugh, and Ryoko joined in. Rio walked in to find both her mother and baby sister laughing like evil maniacs.

'What the hell?' Rio was aware that they were indeed Hakubi women, but even this was a bit creepy.

Rio peered to the side to find Tenchu laying on his crib watching Ryoko and Ryuken with a somewhat worried gaze. Her own baby brother was aware of the trouble those two were sure to stir up.

"Oh, look Ryuken and Tenchu, your big sister has come to visit." Ryoko walked over to Rio and kissed her on the forehead.

"Morning Mom" Rio dodged a sneaky attack from her sister's hands. "Morning Ryuken," she phased and planted a kiss on her sister's cheek before her hair could be endangered. She phased once more towards Tenchu's crib and picked up the baby boy in her arms. "And Good morning Tenchu!" She kissed the boy on the cheek and loved how he smiled up at her.

"I think you prefer him to me or your sister." Ryoko chuckled.

"He's a lot gentler than you two."

"He'll probably be a lot more like Tenchi." Ryoko sighed with relief– she knew she was barely going to be able to handle Ryuken. "As for this one–" she peered down at Ryuken, who had the strangest of smug grins plaster on her face, "well she's pretty much me just with darker hair and the lack of a bad reputation."

"I'm not sure about the reputation part." Rio massaged her head, remembering how it felt have her hair pulled by a baby with inhuman strength.

"Touche, Ryuken does have a knack for doing that." Ryoko placed Ryuken on the wooden floor; she had begun to crawl.

Rio followed suit, sat on the floor and crossed her legs. Tenchu remained in her lap, not eager to leave his elder sister's warmth. He loved how calmly she held him and how softly she spoke; it wasn't every day that he could afford such care. With Ryuken wailing off constantly and Ryoko's own boisterous persona, Tenchu appreciated Rio's companionship. He had been with her often since she had woken up. Either for a quick fly outside, or a walk with both Rio and Arryn, it was time Tenchu enjoyed greatly.

"He's quite attached to you, you know." Ryoko murmured as she lay on her belly and watched as Ryuken crawled towards her siblings.

"He doesn't try to pull my brains out." Rio smiled nervously as her baby sister neared her. "Not like that one!" Rio pointed at Ryuken.

Ryoko chuckled at the scene– a fully grown woman cowering at the sight of a crawling baby. Of course Ryuken wasn't just any baby, but Rio wasn't just a normal girl either. Ryuken wore an expression of determination as she neared both her brother and sister. Tenchu began groping Rio's shirt and trying his best to climb to higher ground. Rio mustered the courage to stand her ground and held her brother in her arms.

"Mamamama," Ryuken muttered as she clutched Rio's shin.

Rio winced at the rough contact but allowed her sister to climb onto her lap. Ryuken smiled as she reached up for Tenchu's foot which she grabbed successfully. Tenchu emitted a slight grunt but kept calm nonetheless.

'My god, she's going to–' by the time Rio understood what Ryuken's main motive was, it was too late.

The tiny girl had already pushed with all her strength and forced Rio to lay flat on her back. Tenchu let out a small cry but as soon as he realized he was still safe, and that his elder sister was fine, he looked back to see Ryuken grinning as she crawled over to where he lay on top of Rio's chest.

"You shouldn't let your guard down with her." Ryoko held back her laughter as she watched her baby girl climb over her eldest daughter.

"Got it." Rio muttered but smiled as Ryuken nestled next to Tenchu. "I think she felt left out." Rio placed her arm around her little sister.

"Don't forget about me!" Ryoko crawled over quickly and snuggled up to Rio's side.

Rio laughed merrily as her mother displayed her childish qualities. It was nice being like this, on the floor with her siblings and mother. This type of happiness she had wished for, for so long when she was trapped in space with her grandmother. That time felt like so long ago...

"So, I take it your morning visit had some other purpose than joining in our communal nap, am I right?" Ryoko kept her eyes closed as she questioned her eldest.

"I see you can perceive things a lot better." Rio jested, knowing her mother to be quite clueless about some things. "And you're right, I wanted to talk about–" Rio winced as she felt a pull on her locks.

Ryuken giggled as her sister struggled in vain to get her tiny hand to loosen its grip. She would have continued to hassle her sister if it hadn't been for the burning gaze her mother was directing right at her.

"Ryuken." Ryoko spoke once curtly and the child immediately loosened her grip.

Rio watched her baby sister hang her head in defeat and couldn't help but let out a little laugh even when her eyes were slightly watered over.

"Is it about Arryn?"

Rio nodded, trying her best to follow through with her earlier decision.

"I want to know your opinion of her." Rio stated and hoped this would make her more comfortable.

"My opinion of her?" Ryoko raised her eyebrow and put a finger to her lip. "Well, she's kinda quiet, has the most hilarious reactions when you push her buttons, and has great hair." Ryoko winked at her daughter.

"You're never serious, are you?" Rio muttered.

"Hardly." Ryoko stuck out her tongue but sighed afterwards. "She fits right in to our family, but that's not what you want to know, is it?"

Rio nodded again, but didn't know how to start.

"You have feelings for her." Ryoko stated.

Rio nodded once more and decided it was time to speak.

"I think she's the one I've been waiting for..." Rio paused as she wondered how much her mother knew. "After the battle with Kronos, I met someone. His name was Salvatus, just like hers."

"I heard you mutter that name when you were unconscious." Ryoko attested, hoping to make her daughter feel more comfortable.

"I thought you might have known something; you took Arryn's appearance quite well compared to grams."

"You could tell?"

"Grams stares at Arryn like she might grow horns from her head and devour me any second." Rio groaned as she recalled how far she had to go to make sure they had privacy.

"She's just worried," Ryoko chuckled at her daughter's distress.

"And you aren't?"

"Should I be? You seem to be getting along with her just fine... a little more than fine actually." Ryoko grinned.

"I... I feel a strong attraction towards her." Rio admitted and blushed. "I've never felt this way, nor have I ever wanted the things I want from her now."

"And to think, I didn't have the birds and the bees talk with you earlier!" Ryoko roared with laughter as her daughter went pale. "But of course in between you time traveling, Kronos trying to destroy everything, my marriage, babies, and you falling into a coma, I haven't had the proper chance."

"You're the worst!" Rio covered her brother and sisters ears, positive that this would one day scar them.

"Don't mind them, they're distracted by each other. Plus they might not swing the same way you do." Ryoko winked again and caused Rio to pale to a deathly white. "I may not be well versed in these kinds of things, but I have to say my years as a seducing space pirate weren't for nothing."

"What? You don't mean you–" Rio felt her tongue tie up in a knot, unable to produce any form of speech.

"Before I met your father, I wasn't really looking to settle and so I thought it'd be in my best interest to... experiment." Ryoko chuckled once more and continued. "As a deadly space pirate, I attracted my fair share of beautiful women. Even more than your father has managed, and that's really saying something."

"So then... you know about how 'stuff' works?" Rio eyed her mother with genuine curiosity.

Ryoko nodded and her more feline features came into play as she smiled at her daughter. She wondered and half-dreaded when this day would come, but now that it was here, Ryoko found this to be fun. She had never gotten this kind of talk, so she really had no guidelines to follow. The way things were going now, Ryoko was enjoying herself and her daughter's plentiful facial expressions.

Ryoko whispered in her ear the very many things she could do to Arryn if she so wished to please her. The more she whispered, the redder Rio blushed, until finally Rio realized she had forgotten to breath. With a gasp of air, as Ryoko finally finished her very detailed explanation of pleasure practices, Rio clasped her face and felt warm all over.

"It's just that easy." Ryoko rolled off of Rio's shoulder and lay flat on her back.

Ryuken and Tenchu, who had long left the two to their own conversation, were off playing near their crib. Rio sighed and snuggled up to her mother, completely overwhelmed by the information she just shared. Ryoko looked down at her daughter and found that she seemed down. She smiled gently, her Rio was still just as tender as ever. She pulled her daughter closer and held her lovingly. It was easy to see that Rio was scared and needed her mother. Ryoko was glad, not that Rio was feeling down, but that she was still needed. If it weren't for the twins being born, Ryoko would have been very jealous towards Arryn, and perhaps more like Washu. She treasured her daughter immensely, even if she technically hadn't been born from her womb, she was her's nonetheless.

"You'll be fine. Trust me, when you're in love that part will come naturally." Ryoko reassured her daughter.

"Thank you." Rio hugged her mother tightly before phasing up right.

"You shouldn't phase just to stand." Ryoko muttered at her daughter's lazy habits.

"In the end it actually burns off more fat." Rio sarcastically answered back as she walked towards the door.

"Make sure not to be too loud." Ryoko snickered as the comment produced the desired effect. "After all your grandmother will have a fit if she hears such things coming from either of your rooms."

Rio blushed and opened the door hastily, only to be face to face with– her grandmother!

"What will I have a fit over?" She eyed her granddaughter suspiciously as well as Ryoko.

"N,n, nothing!" Rio stuttered and brushed past her grandma. "I'll see you later grams!" She rushed down the hallway and catapulted down the stairs.

"What's gotten in to her?" Washu scratched her nose.

"Nothing... well maybe puberty." she whispered the last part to herself.

Meanwhile, Arryn was out on the fields helping Tenchi with his work as payment for letting her board in the Masaki household. Tenchi didn't want to admit it, but she actually did more work than he was capable of doing. He wasn't quite sure how she managed to pull it off, and part of him began to wonder if she wasn't an alien like all the other girls that ended up on his front porch.

"Do you need help with that?" She asked the man lost in thought as she pointed to his basket of carrots.

"Oh no these are for Ryo-Ohki and these are for Kai-Ohki." He raised another bag of apples.

Arryn looked at him then down at the cabbits who she had recently been introduced to. They were strange creatures unlike anything she had ever seen before in or outside of a pet shop. Kai-Ohki was usually always out with the other cabbit or around Rio. More than once Arryn was surprised to see the cabbit resting casually on Rio's shoulder.

"So..." Tenchi wasn't sure how to bring up the topic of his daughter and her without sounding too nosy. "You and Rio..." He stopped there as Arryn dropped her basket.

'Does he know about the two of us?' Arryn questioned as she refused to look at the man that was father to her master. 'He must be disgusted with me.'

"Are you alright?" He asked and went by the girl.

"Yeah, sorry, what were you saying?" She shook off her fear and retained her composure.

"You have feelings for my daughter, correct?" Tenchi wasn't sure why but he blushed.

Arryn tensed up and felt her mouth to be suddenly dry. "Yes... I do."

"And she, no doubt, has feelings for you too." Tenchi added and smiled. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being left in the dark again." He scratched the back of his head and gave her a goofy smile.

Arryn relaxed and sighed as her fear slowly ebbed away. How could she honestly be afraid of Tenchi, goofy smile and all? She had noticed the relatively youthful appearance that everyone seemed to share, and Rio had explained her family's unnatural longevity, but it was still weird looking about the same age as someone's parents.

"I wanted to ask..." Arryn cleared her throat as she eyed Tenchi with a deadly serious look. "For your permission to take your daughter out on a date."

"Wow so mannerly!" Tenchi exclaimed truly surprised by the gravity that Arryn was able to cast on such a light-hearted subject and chuckled slightly; Arryn seemed nervous. "Of course you can, I'm sure you both deserve a day off from training. Hopefully your master is willing to ease up on you." Tenchi winked at the still serious girl.

"Thank you." Arryn spoke without stuttering and resumed her field work.

Tenchi sighed with a content smile, Rio would have a tough time getting through that girl's natural shields, but his daughter was a brilliant force all her own. It wasn't too long ago when she had completely transformed everyone's lives and partly their attitudes towards one another. It had seemed like a miracle when everyone witnessed Ryoko's maternal side, when Washu started coming out of her lab more often, when Tenchi finally decided on a woman to love, when Ayeka and Ryoko became as close as sisters, when Yosho began to court Ayeka and when Mihoshi... actually nothing changed about Mihoshi.

End Note: Well how was it? I hope you all liked it! Next time we'll be able to see them off on their date, which may or may not be a private endeavor. After all Washu is a bit more than protective, and Ryoko is more than curious to see how her daughter fares, and Mihoshi... well she manages to show up one way or the other. (can you all tell I've been watching too much anime, so much so that I'm starting to end my chapters with little prequels for the next chap, haha I'm hopeless.)


	14. Chapter 10B: Festivities and Spies

SPTII

10B: Festivities and Spies

Arryn paced back and forth in the hallway, stopping multiple of times in front of Rio's door. She raised her hand to knock but then cursed and resumed her pacing. The sun had just risen and that meant Rio should just about be getting ready for training.

'What should I say?' Arryn thought as she stood still at Rio's door. 'Hey Rio would you like to go to the amusement park today? It's that simple.' She groaned and wondered why this was so difficult.

She raised her hand once more, closed her eyes to collect her thoughts and motioned to knock calmly. Where there should have been the sound of wood, there was not, and her knuckles rapped not on wood but... something soft yet firm. Arryn opened one eye and to her horror she saw her hand resting casually on Rio's right breast. Rio blushed madly and smiled sheepishly– how did this happen? Arryn drew her hand back slowly and inhaled deeply before clearing her throat and pushing the embarrassing act out of mind.

"Good morning." Arryn spoke calmly and looked sideways at nothing in particular.

"Morning Arryn." Rio let her body cool down.

"I was wondering if..." Arryn's tongue felt stiff as her heart fluttered. "if you'd like to go to the amusement park today." She kept a straight face.

"Amusement park?" Rio's eyes lit up.

"Well it'd be a different way to train." Arryn quickly replied and bit her lip as she did. 'What the hell am I saying, who in the world would buy such an idiotic reason?'

"Oh..." the spark dulled slightly in Rio's eyes, "sure, let's go!"

"Really?" Arryn's cool and calm exterior shifted as she stared at the other girl in bafflement.

Rio nodded. "Is this a type of training you've done before." Rio was sincere.

"Uh, yes, it consists of sustaining G-forces of various degrees." Arryn mentally slapped herself for yet another stupid comment.

"Interesting..." Rio mulled over the idea and looked down at her clothes, and then at Arryn's, "let me change!"

Arryn couldn't move as she registered her somewhat success at getting Rio to go out with her, but she had lied. Before Arryn could further question the ethics of her actions, Rio came back. Arryn's blood rushed as she scanned Rio's outfit– tight jean short-shorts and a snug red cami. She hardly left anything for her imagination, and Arryn was at war trying to figure out if this was a blessing or a curse. Arryn had chosen a ragged pair of pants which were shredded at the knee and a black and white baseball-style tee– not exactly feminine, but it hugged her form adequately enough. Rio was completely smitten with Arryn's style of dress; she had never seen her out of training gear. In her eyes, Arryn was the embodiment of a gorgeous, tough girl type with her light hair, fine eyes and supple curves lending her a feminine touch. The two were so caught up looking over one another that they failed to notice a little Washu-bot observing them from a distance; it's little beady, mechanical eyes capturing every shy glance they took.

Washu watched from her halo-laptop screen and clenched her teeth– that demon was trying to seduce her granddaughter! As a grandmother she had an obligation to save her young one from falling prey to such a conniving predator; not just an obligation, but a divine right! Washu's heart lit aflame as she concocted various ways to foil Arryn's plans. As she began to collect various tools of mass destruction, Ryoko's image appeared in her mind.

'I guess I should consult with her first...' Washu groaned but phased shortly afterwards in search of her only daughter.

As usual her daughter was meandering in the cherry blossom trees, and the twins were nowhere in sight.

"Ryoko, we have a problem."

"What is it this time?" Ryoko groaned and peeped down at her child-like mother; where was her peace?

"Arryn's taking Rio to the amusement park."

"That's wonderful news; I'm still waiting for the problem." Ryoko smiled back at a flustered Washu.

"Whaddya mean you're still waiting for the problem, we have to stop them." Washu retorted. "Who knows what Arryn has planned for her."

"Well she'll probably take her to the amusement park, get on a couple of rides. You know like the love boat, maybe a roller coaster or two, catch some lunch and end the night on the ferris wheel. Then when they come back... well who knows what'll happen then." She winked.

Washu, mortified, replied, "how can you be so nonchalant about this?" Washu turned away from her daughter. "Fine, I can do it by myself anyways."

Ryoko sighed and phased besides her angry mother. She was blowing things out of proportion, which was strange since usually it was Ryoko doing that. She really had it out for Arryn, and that wasn't entirely without cause.

"Fine, I'll help, but first you have to agree to play by my rules." Ryoko looked sincerely down at her Washu's stern gaze. "We're going to do it my way."

"Your way?" Washu wasn't sure she would approve.

"Exactly, come up with disguises for us, preferably so we look like males."

"What?" Washu threw her arms up.

"Look, I know you can do it. They'll be our disguises. We're going to follow them on foot; after all wouldn't you want to be right there when things get bad."

"Well I was hoping to just throw a little virus in Arryn's direction and..."

Ryoko glared at her mother.

"Alright! Let's go to the lab." Washu muttered.

Within a matter of seconds, Washu was able to conjure up holographic disguises for both herself and Ryoko. It really was a waste of perfectly good resources, but Ryoko wouldn't let her simply concoct a virus that would incapacitate her intended target. Instead she was disguised as a teenage boy with short, spiky, pink hair and the same emerald eyes. She pulled the baseball cap lower and mumbled out curses at her new masculine figure. Ryoko stood by her, looking at her new form in the provided mirror.

"Not too bad." Ryoko spoke with a gruff, male voice and eyed her lean figure up and down.

She kept the same hair and eye color, but the hair cut was much shorter than what she was accustomed to. They were both dressed in normal, human attire. Ryoko grinned at her leather jacket, and combed her fingers through her new short hair.

"This is ridiculous." Washu muttered.

"You're the one that wants to intervene." Ryoko responded.

"I didn't expect you to drag us into this."

"Aww come on, it'll be fun!" Ryoko latched on to Washu's arm. "Plus we make such handsome boys."

"What's going on here?"

Both Ryoko and Washu whipped their heads to see who had intruded on them. Washu sighed as she viewed a very dumbstruck Tenchi pointing at the two of them. No doubt, he was wondering what two strange men were doing in her lab.

"Don't you recognize me?" Ryoko, who was bold by nature, approached her Tenchi and placed her face inches away from his.

Tenchi, who had never found another male attractive, was beginning to feel hot in all the wrong places. He found himself ensnared in the golden irises of the male stranger.

"Uhh..." Tenchi felt his tongue melt away and was unable to formulate words.

"Well I'm glad to know you're attracted to me no matter what." Ryoko laughed as she closed in for a kiss.

Washu blushed as she witnessed Ryoko's male-self kiss Tenchi; her daughter was as crazy as they could get.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi finally managed to ask as he stood completely relaxed in her arms.

"You got it." She winked at him. "What do you think?" She held him closely and chuckled at his euphoric gaze.

"Well..." he wasn't sure he wanted her to stay as a him.

"It's just a disguise, so don't worry too much."

"A disguise?" That didn't help him worry any less.

"Washu wants to check on her granddaughter's very first date." Ryoko replied.

"Oh yeah, Arryn asked for my permission." Tenchi smiled but then sweat-dropped as he noticed Washu's scathing glare.

"Aren't you worried?" Washu shouted out.

"I really like Arryn, so I don't see a problem with it." Tenchi spoke truthfully. "She's one of the few people that hasn't inhabited this shrine and blown it to pieces, so that gives her a couple of good points in my book." Tenchi grinned and scratched the back of his head as he was wont to do.

"Good point," Ryoko nodded but still stood by Washu, "but we're going to check up on them anyways, wish us luck!" And with that the two were phased away.

Meanwhile Arryn stood at the entrance to the Amusement Park and felt at a loss on where to go. She had never been to one of these things and couldn't really fathom what Rio would like to do, so she just kept walking in no specific direction. They walked side by side, and passed various groups of people either waiting in lines or getting off of attractions. Rio watched Arryn's brow furrow as she continued her walk and decided it was best to keep quiet and let her concentrate.

"How about those?" Arryn pointed as a slight blush arose on her cheeks.

"The teacups?" Rio responded with a finger to her lips.

Arryn nodded and pictured a serene experience with Rio possibly snuggling up against her side. She would twirl the teacup fast enough so that Rio would have to, by all the laws of physics, snuggle up beside her. With a clenched fist, a small grin and a plentiful amount of determination, Arryn nodded her head in affirmation. Rio smiled and accompanied her partner towards the nonexistent line that led to the teacups.

'I wonder what type of training Arryn usually does here.' Rio thought as she boarded the tea cup.

The ride began and Arryn pulled the wheel in the middle as much as necessary. It didn't take much for Rio's body to slide closer to hers, but Arryn didn't want to push it. Not only was she afraid of making Rio uncomfortable, but she hated dizziness.

'I know!' a lightbulb lit in Rio's head. 'She wants to spin as fast as possible to get as much G force as possible!' It all made perfect sense to her now. "I got you covered, partner!" She exclaimed out loud before she took hold of the wheel and yanked it with her inhuman strength.

"Wait, wha–" Arryn shut her mouth as she felt her center of gravity roughly dislocated.

Rio laughed as Arryn held on for dear life, and the ride overseer watched on in fear, unsure if the cups were built to maintain such speeds. However the ride continued until its natural end, and Arryn held her stomach as she exited the cup and tried her best to walk straight.

"How was that for a G force exercise!" Rio stood in triumph

"Wait, hold on." Arryn was still unsure which way the sky was and if she was walking on it or not.

Rio quickly caught on to her disorientation and pulled her gently so she could rest on her shoulder for a bit.

"Ah!" A voice from yonder exclaimed.

"Shut up will you?" Ryoko muttered to her mother who had reacted almost as soon as Arryn made physical contact with Rio.

"But she's practically all over her." Washu protested as they crouched behind a nearby bush.

"If I had to guess, Arryn isn't one for any kind of spinning contraptions." Ryoko chuckled; she was in for a horrible surprise– Rio loved every thrill-seeking ride.

"Hold on the transmitters are picking up their conversation." Washu tensed as she prepared for the worst possible dialogue.

"I'm sorry was that too fast?" Rio held Arryn by the waist as they neared a bench.

"N,n,no that was nothing." Arryn lied through her teeth, but couldn't let Rio think she was new to this. After all she was the one that proposed the idea of sustaining G forces.

"I think I know the perfect rides to get onto if you want to experience that again." Rio smiled, hoping that Arryn would find her useful.

"Really?" Arryn gulped but kept her cool– she had dug her own grave.

Rio took that as an affirmative and grabbed on to Arryn's arm to drag her towards the north end of the amusement park. From a distance Arryn saw a snaking rail practically reach up to the heavens, disappearing in the clouds and coming back down. She prayed to whatever god there was and hoped that's not where Rio was leading her.

"This is the one!" Rio exclaimed as she pointed to a sign labeled "Heaven and Back"

"That's only metaphorical, right?" Arryn's face paled as Rio simply laughed and led her towards the line.

Her hands felt cold and clammy as they neared the carts that would lead her to heaven and back. She wanted to leave, to run and never come back, but Rio was holding on to her arm and that was comforting. Rio knew for sure that this would surely give Arryn the kind of training that she would be expecting from this trip; even for someone who could fly, this roller coaster gave her butterflies in her stomach.

Ryoko waited at the fence and watched the two as they boarded the ride. Arryn's expression was priceless, and so with one of Washu's high tech cameras, she took some snapshots as memorabilia of the day. Washu was semi-happy because she had heard Arryn's prayer (As a Chousin) and not granted her rescue, perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea after all. Once Arryn understood the stark differences between her and Rio, she should detach and eventually leave the Masaki Shrine, or so Washu hoped.

As the roller coaster cart pulled in, Rio realized that her partner had fainted.

"Arryn?" She yanked at her shoulder which produced a long groan from the girl. "Are you alright."

"I suppose..." Arryn grabbed at her stomach, but kept her nausea from erupting. "I think I might have fallen asleep on that one." She wanted to smack herself for saying yet another stupid lie.

"Oh," Rio was saddened at her failure to thrill Arryn, "it's only natural since you've done this before right?"

They exited the ride and went on to others that Rio swore were better. Arryn continued to hide her discomfort and fear, but was doing a horrible job at it, Ryoko could easily tell and wondered why her daughter could not.

"I think it's time for an intervention." Ryoko spoke up as she watched them head towards a food booth.

"Now we're talking!" Washu figured it would be to further separate the two. "What are we going to do?"

"Go hit on your granddaughter." Ryoko commanded as she took a seat at a nearby table.

"What?" Washu took a step back and ogled Ryoko. "I can't do that!"

"Well then I guess Arryn is just going to sweep her off her feet." Ryoko mused as she watched the couple order.

Washu felt her mouth dry but also noticed the small smiles that both Rio and Arryn donned as they sat at their table.

"Fine, but what's the point?"

"Well Arryn's a girl, and you're a boy, so show Arryn that Rio prefers males."

Washu nodded, sighed but headed towards her granddaughter with a strident step. As she neared she built up her male psyche and decided on the best way to approach her.

"Hi there!" Washu spoke cheerfully as she stopped right in front of Rio.

"Hi..." Rio eyed the stranger curiously, did she know him?

"I couldn't help but notice that you're astonishingly beautiful." Washu blushed at the right moment as she spoke.

Arryn choked on her drink and glared at the boy menacingly– what was his deal? But then again, Rio was beautiful, and no doubt she would attract many suitors.

"Thanks," Rio chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head. "that's really nice of you to say." Her face warmed up as she looked at Arryn who was giving the mysterious boy a death stare.

Washu took Rio's blush as incentive to continue.

"I know you came with your friend here," Washu threw a slight glare in Arryn's direction, "but would you mind if I stole you for the day."

Rio looked the boy up and down– he was gorgeous by definition. His build was toned, his hair was a strange magenta color and his eyes a magnificent emerald green. However, she didn't want to part with Arryn.

"I'm sorry, I'm here training with my partner." Rio smiled gently at the boy.

"But it'll only take–" before Washu could continued her botched seduction tactic, another male presence over shadowed hers.

"Forgot this pretty boy, and come with me." A buff, rough looking man practically shoved Washu aside and grabbed Rio by the wrist.

Arryn reacted immediately and grabbed his arm so that it snapped and let go of Rio's.

"Bug off." Arryn muttered as her eyes narrowed in aggression.

"What the hell is your problem?" The man was pissed and he tried to throw his arm straight at her.

Washu watched, surprised that Arryn had intervened since she hadn't done so when she had approached. Rio also sat motionless, after all she could have dealt with the male on her own, but Arryn reacted so much faster than expected.

"You shouldn't grab anyone like that." Arryn calmly stated as she dodged his punch. "Now stop before you hurt yourself." She dodged another weighted punch easily.

The man raged at not being able to land a hit, but decided to vent his fury on the next closest thing– an unsuspecting male, Washu.

"Eh!" Washu squeaked as a sausage-sized fingers clutched her collar and lifted her off the ground.

Arryn quickly closed the distance between her and the brute. With a swift quick to his jaw, the thug went flying towards a nearby bush and Washu wound up safely in the arms of her savior. Almost immediately after the heroic act, a handful of girls crowded around Arryn and Washu with gleaming eyes, and pulled out phones. They snapped multiple pictures and cried out what a cute couple they made. Arryn's face went blank as she registered what everyone thought of the two, and without another thought let the pretty boy fall from her arms. Ryoko chuckled as Washu fell to the floor.

"He's not my type." Arryn stated gruffly as she took her seat by Rio.

All the girls let out a sigh of disappointment, which was quickly replaced by squeals of joy as they realized that the magenta-haired boy was up for grabs. Washu let a sweat drop roll down her face as she eyed the ravenous, teenage girls from the floor.

"I have t,t,to get going. Sorry ladies!" Washu jumped up and dashed away.

The girls gave chase, but Ryoko was waiting up ahead to pull her poor mother into a concealed hall. Washu held her breath as the stampede passed by, and thanked her daughter for the prompt rescue.

"So, what'd you learn?" Ryoko poked Washu's cheek.

The scientist swatted away her daughter's prying finger, "that human girls are monsters!"

"And what else?" Ryoko chuckled at her mother's distraught tone.

"... she's not human." Washu muttered unwilling to say anything good about Arryn.

"Which means she's not a monster, I take it."

"Not for now, but I'll grant her at least an evening without my supervision." Washu patted her clothes which was covered in dirt from the floor.

"Really? That's generous coming from you." Ryoko narrowed her eyes as she saw two Washu bots in the distance. "Those are coming with us too."

"What?!" Washu protested but gulped as Ryoko threatened to throw her to the stampede of girls that ran through every so often. "Fine, fine!" Washu ordered her bots to return to the lab, and the two alien women phased back home.

Meanwhile, Rio was happily eating away at a sunday that she was sharing with Arryn. After the pretty boy had run away, a lot of the noise and commotion had left with him. She admired the way that Arryn had handled the situation even if her rescue was really unnecessary; it still felt nice to feel protected. Rio looked behind Arryn and saw the one ride she had been eyeing every time they passed by it– the ferris wheel.

"Hey Arryn, I know this won't help with your training, but..." Rio began to feel insipid for the suggestion she was about to make. "Can we ride on the ferris wheel?"

Arryn's eyes lit up and her stomach settled in rejoice at the thought of a slow ride.

"Sure, I think we've done more than enough for today."

"Really? I was afraid that none of the rides really challenged you much."

"I'd say they were all effective," Arryn said this, but prayed that they never returned to any of those god-forsaken rides.

"I'm glad, oh," Rio wiped a slight whip of chocolate fudge that had found its way to the corner of Arryn's lips. "there, now we can go." She licked her finger clean.

Arryn held her breath, but rose from her seat and tried her best to act normal. It was difficult not to grab Rio's arm and wind it with her own; it was hard not to blush when she smiled at her. As they neared the ferris wheel, Arryn knew that something was bound to happen; she couldn't keep her confusion to herself. She just hoped it didn't leave Rio feeling like she did after the teacups.


End file.
